I attended this year’s Travel Weekly Hawaiʻi Leadership Forum—one of the few consistent spaces where Hawaiʻi tourism leaders gather to talk shop. Familiar faces, solid execution… but I have to say, the perspectives felt a bit too familiar.
I get it—the forum (and the magazine behind it) is built for the travel advisor community, and that’s an important part of the ecosystem. But at a time when AI is reshaping guest journeys, influencers are driving demand in real time, and Gen Z is rewriting the playbook—it might be time to broaden the conversation. There’s real value in revisiting the fundamentals, but maybe not every year, with the same format and speakers.
Aaron J. Salā, PhD, the new HVCB CEO, brought a fresh and provocative perspective. He called out tourism’s extractive legacy and made a powerful case for a new, regenerative tourism grounded in cultural integrity and equity. It was the boldest part of the day—and a welcome reminder that Hawaiʻi’s future won’t be built by “polishing old models”.
As an industry, we’re great at polishing old models—but with how fast things are moving, our tech, our talent, and even our talking points are starting to feel stuck in 2019.
And to be clear, this isn’t a knock on Travel Weekly—I’ve seen the same dynamic across plenty of forums, panels, and strategy decks.
Anyone else picking up on this pattern, or am I just cranky from too many panel discussions?
