Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tourism Outreach And Guest Pledge topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House tourism committee approves airport‑greeting art display expansion and adopts softened language on timeshare ‘pono pledge’ resolution
Summary
The House Committee on Tourism passed HCR142/HR136 urging expansion of the Kahea Airport Greeting Program to neighbor‑island airports and passed HCR143/HR137 as HD1, changing a proposed requirement that transient accommodations require guest check‑in of a pono pledge to a recommendation that they encourage it.
On March 20 the House Committee on Tourism advanced two nonbinding measures aimed at tourism stewardship and outreach.
HCR142/HR136 urged the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) and Department of Transportation to expand the Kahea Airport Greeting Program to display children’s (keiki) art in all neighbor‑island airports. Caroline Anderson of HTA offered comments and stood on the agency’s written testimony; the committee voted to pass the measure.
HCR143/HR137 originally urged HTA to require all transient accommodations to incorporate a ‘pono pledge’ at guest check‑in. Committee members amended the resolution to change the language from a requirement to an encouragement (HD1) before adopting the measure. HTA said it stood on its written testimony and the chair recorded that the committee changed the resolution’s language from “require” to “encourage.”
Action and context Both measures passed the committee in the decision-making session. Members said the measures aim to broaden visitor engagement with community values and to showcase neighbor‑island artwork at airports while preserving the tourism sector’s flexibility on implementation.
Ending note Both measures are advisory requests to HTA and DOT; they do not appropriate funds or impose regulatory mandates and will be recorded as committee approvals in the hearing record.
