The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority's Board of Directors has approved a six-month plan to help Maui’s recovery efforts.
HTA officials said that community input served as a foundation for the plan.
They received comments from more than 200 residents at a community meeting this month. They also received comments online and met with Maui business and community leaders.
The plan focuses on seven key areas:
- Increase the visibility and call-to-action for travel to Hawai‘i targeting high-potential markets through Maui recovery marketing programs emphasizing Mālama Maui in the U.S. and Canada.
- Support businesses in maintaining a consistent message that Maui is open for visitors by enhancing the GoHawaii.com website and app with additional information highlighting that Maui is open.
- Develop local messaging sharing that many Maui residents want to return to full-time work and that it provides a path to meaningful economic recovery.
- Increase post-arrival Mālama Hawaiʻi visitor communication and education efforts, and develop messaging that is more Maui site-specific and addresses some of the post-wildfire changes.
- Support Maui small businesses experiencing significant sales reductions due to fewer visitors by providing funding support for Maui Made markets and products.
- Expand Maui’s tourism product to support local businesses and provide new visitor activities by creating opportunities that allow travelers to explore different areas of Maui that are open to visitors.
- Support longer-term housing for wildfire-impacted households living in visitor accommodations by increasing communication with out-of-state transient vacation rental owners encouraging them to rent to displaced Lahaina residents.
The plan will be executed primarily by the HTA’s current contractors.
