I always look forward to the HTA Tourism Conference. It’s a chance to catch up with industry friends and learn a few things. This year was… different.
First, the move to Hilton Hawaiian Village. I actually liked it. The vendor area got more prominence, changing sessions didn’t require an escalator expedition, and you bumped into more people (literally). The danger? People might discover they like the new place better. (We were told 2028 is still the target for the Convention Center. Fingers crossed.)
Then came the speakers.
Chief Joseph Pfeifer opened with a powerful, deeply moving account of 9/11 and Hawaiʻi’s role in helping first responders and their families heal. Humble, emotional, and heavy. I wish he had leaned even harder into the healing and restorative power of Hawaiʻi, because we all needed a lift afterward.
Enter Nick Adams. Literally, to his own walk-on music.
Adams, the Special Presidential Envoy for American Tourism, Exceptionalism and Values, was there to talk about the future of U.S. tourism policy. Instead, we got an “Alpha Male” personality, with a thick Australian accent, telling an audience of tourism professionals how great U.S. tourism is doing, blaming Canadians for not traveling, offering some rather obvious observations about Japan, and displaying what I thought was a remarkable lack of understanding of Hawaiʻi, its history, and its culture.
I almost walked out. I briefly considered heckling. Instead, like a slow-motion train wreck, I couldn’t look away.
But one of the comments on my LinkedIn post asked the better question: Who booked this guy?
Hawaiʻi tourism is dealing with declining international visitation, affordability, airlift, community sentiment, and some very real questions about its future. This was our chance to hear about U.S. tourism policy, and this was who they put on stage? I’m sure there were politics behind the booking. Still disappointing.
The star of the general session for me was Noor Ahmad Hamid, who shared lessons from other destinations across Asia-Pacific. Between his interview with David Uchiyama and the audience Q&A, he gave us a lot to think about. I would have loved to see him in the Nick Adams slot, when the crowd was bigger, and the politicians were there.
Then there was the session many of us actually came for: the 2027 North America and Japan marketing plans. It was canceled without explanation. The coconut wireless was buzzing about some sort of contract issue, and I wish someone had addressed it at the closing session. It was odd, to say the least.
Besides that, great conference! 😉
