Fresh off the Senate’s approval of the new HTA Advisory Board, an HTA press release popped into my inbox announcing the official search for a new Hawai‘i Tourism Authority president and CEO.
I had actually thought the search was ongoing, but this seems to suggest otherwise. According to the release, the new leader will help guide Hawai‘i tourism into a “new era” while balancing economic priorities, community concerns, cultural values, destination stewardship, marketing, and oversight of the Hawai‘i Convention Center. Easy peasy. 😉
What caught my attention was the wording. The release repeatedly emphasizes collaboration with DBEDT, government, and the newly reshaped advisory board, a reminder that HTA today looks very different from the more independent authority it once was. The new CEO will operate under significantly more political oversight and scrutiny than many of their predecessors.
And then there’s the salary. Following last year’s very public debate around HTA leadership compensation, the position is now capped at the Lieutenant Governor’s salary (Act 168), currently around $185K annually. For what may be one of the most politically exposed and publicly dissected executive roles in the entire state, that’s probably going to narrow down the candidate pool pretty quickly. Not a terrible salary by most standards, but when recent hotel GM/MD postings in Hawaiʻi have ranged from roughly $150K to $500K, it does put things into perspective.
You’ll need tourism expertise, political patience, crisis management skills, and the ability to survive Hawaiʻi’s endless tourism culture wars while everyone simultaneously blames tourism for everything, while also depending on it for the economy. No pressure.
Interested in applying? 😁 Deadline to Apply is June 26th.
