State tourism officials are gathering at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center this week for the Hawaiʻi Tourism Conference. Striking Hilton Hawaiian Village hotel workers plan to pass out leaflets to draw attention to their labor dispute now moving into its second week.
A keynote lunch session will feature a conversation between Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority chair Mufi Hannemann, Hawaiʻi Visitors & Convention Bureau head Aaron Salā and Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement CEO Kūhiō Lewis.
"The HTA is in a lot better shape than it's ever been, perhaps since its inception," said Hannemann, also the president of the Hawaiʻi Lodging & Tourism Association and a former Honolulu mayor.
"The whole idea behind our efforts within the past several months is to underscore the fact that when you say HTA, the A will stand for 'Authority,' as opposed to 'Hawaiʻi Tourism Afterthought.'"
HPR also talked to Hannemann about the current hotel worker strikes. He said he hopes to see the situation resolved as soon as possible.
"Obviously, there's a need for workers to demonstrate and it's always been a part of Hawaiʻi's system, if you will, that labor is very important. So that's the piece that's on the table. And then of course, then management also has to find that sweet spot, that middle ground, that will come to some kind of agreement," Hannemann said.
"In the meantime, we have to continue to do what we need to do because there's a lot of people that are dependent upon the industry."
The Hawaiʻi Tourism Conference runs from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2. For more information, click here.
This interview aired on The Conversation on Sept. 30, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
