As many of you have heard, Mufi Hannemann has stepped down as Chair of the HTA board. This comes after a state audit flagged two of his affiliated nonprofits for receiving free use of the Hawai‘i Convention Center. No fraud was found, but the report revealed procedural gaps.
Mufi resigned “to avoid distraction,” though it feels like some on the board were just waiting for a reason to nudge him out. Did you know all of the HTA Board Positions, including chair, are voluntary positions? Reading through the issue’s details, it felt like much ado about nothing. All this palace intrigue — with a volunteer board!
Todd Apo, former Honolulu City Council chair, is now board chair. Meanwhile, interim CEO Daniel Naho‘opi‘i is also out, heading to a role at JLL (Congrats, Daniel, it sounds like a great role). Caroline Anderson, a respected HTA vet, will serve as interim CEO. A search for a permanent CEO has been underway for what seems like forever — though the position’s salary was just cut from $300K to $188K, which could shrink the candidate pool.
Some readers have called HTA dysfunctional and say it should be disbanded. Others argue that Hawai‘i still needs a strong tourism management body — just maybe not this one. Some even suggest folding it into DBEDT, though that may create more problems than it solves.
What do you think — does HTA need a reset? Total reimagining? Elimination?
For those who are confused by the HTA, here is a quick, simple summary:
- Founded in 1998, the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA) is the state agency responsible for managing tourism and, more recently, destination management across the Hawaiian Islands.
- Originally, HTA was funded through the Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT), a tax collected on hotel and vacation rental stays.
- In recent years, the Legislature diverted TAT revenue into the state’s general fund, requiring HTA to seek annual appropriations, making funding less predictable.
- HTA is governed by a volunteer board of directors appointed by the Governor, including industry professionals, state employees, cultural practitioners, and community leaders.
- The board hires a CEO who oversees a small executive team and staff responsible for managing the agency’s strategic priorities.
- HTA does not directly run marketing campaigns — instead, it contracts with outside organizations, such as the Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB) for U.S. market promotion, other partners for international marketing, and Kilohana for destination management.
- HTA also funds programs to support festivals, community events, and cultural initiatives.
