DESTINATION ASSESSMENTS
hawaii
To kick off the development of its new strategic plan, the Hawaii Tourism Authority conducted a statewide assessment to identify key issues and opportunities.
Background
Hawai‘i is at a point that requires a re-balancing of priorities. The continuous drive to increase visitor numbers has taken its toll on the natural environment and people, the very reason visitors travel to our islands. As such, destination management has become a major focus for the organization.
Approach
We developed a customized DestinationNEXT Assessment for each of the five major islands. The survey was pushed out to key industry and community leaders and more than 700 responses were received, providing a solid base line of opinion for each island. Community workshops were then held on each island to discuss key issues and opportunities. These workshops generated significant engagement from industry and community leaders to determine critical initiatives which should be pursued.
Results
The assessment shined a light of key issues related to destination strength and community support, including neighborhood development, mobility and access, workforce development and resident engagement. The scenario modeling then laid the foundational direction for the organization’s strategic plan. The resulting plan reorganized the organization around four interacting “Pillars”:
- Respect for Our Natural & Cultural Resources
- Support Native Hawaiian Culture & Community
- Ensure Tourism & Communities Enrich Each Other
- Strengthen Tourism’s Contributions
