Government Affairs Aloha, This afternoon, HLTA held the first meeting of our Government Affairs Committee. This is a standing committee that traditionally first meets before the opening of the Legislative Session. During our first meeting, we reviewed our 2021 Position Statement which details our current position on a number of issues including, but not limited to, tourism management, tax rates, public safety, and COVID-19-related concerns. The final draft of this document will be posted on our website under the "Advocacy" tab next week Thursday. We were then joined by Speaker Saiki, House Tourism Chair Onishi, Senator Donovan Dela Cruz, and Senate Tourism Chair Wakai, each of whom discussed their legislative priorities for the year and fielded questions from committee members. It was an extremely productive first meeting, and we are looking looking forward to future sessions. AHLA Insights WebinarThe American Hotel & Lodging Association has announced an upcoming webinar that may be of interest to you. The event will feature AHLA's first-ever State of the Industry Report and is scheduled for Thursday, January 21 at 3 p.m. EST. Scheduled to speak are the following individuals:
This is a great opportunity to get better acquainted with the national level issues facing our industry. AHLA’s Chip Rogers and I have been discussing various ways for our two organizations to collaborate in this toughest of years for our industry nationally and locally. To learn more about the event and to register, please please click here. EAT THINK DRINKThis past Tuesday evening, HLTA partnered with the Hawai'i Agricultural Foundation to host a riveting episode of HAF's popular EAT THINK DRINK series. My deepest mahalo to all of you who were able to join us for this wonderfully informative event. After short remarks from TZ Economics' Paul Brewbaker and yours truly, viewers were treated to an in-depth discussion led by Senate Tourism Chair Glenn Wakai. The panelists, which included Central Pacific Bank Executive Chairman Paul Yonamine, Kualoa Ranch President John Morgan, Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club General Manager Lynette Eastman, and Alaska Airlines Director of Sales, Community & Public Relations Daniel Chun, each brought a wealth of diverse experience and insights to the table and really shined a light on a variety of issues facing our industry. In the video above, you will find a complete replay of the event that has been provided courtesy of the Hawai'i Agricultural Foundation. Below, you will find the recent promotional segment that aired on Living 808. Have a great weekend,
Mufi
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Mayor Blangiardi  Aloha, Yesterday afternoon, members of the Hawai'i Tourism & Business Coalition met with Mayor Blangiardi and Managing Director Michael Formby to continue our dialogue now that Mayor Blangiardi has been officially installed as our City's mayor. It was an especially productive conversation that gave us great insight into the direction his administration will take in the coming months as it pertains to our economic recovery. He was also eager to hear our views on how we felt about aspects of the economy as well as public health and safety priorities that we want to collaborate on with the City. This afternoon, HLTA will join HTA and HVCB in co-sponsoring our first meeting with Mayor Blangiardi that is open to HLTA board members. This is another opportunity to build a positive working relationship with the mayor and his administration as the meeting will provide a forum not only to share our mana'o and our concerns, but also to just talk story with Honolulu's leader for the next four years. These early weeks of Mayor Blangiardi's first term have been extremely encouraging in terms of the openness and availability he has shown the leaders and stakeholders of the tourism industry. We are off to a good start. Mayor VictorinoYesterday morning, the HTA, HLTA, HVCB ongoing forum with our county mayors had its January session with Mayor Victorino. We appreciate the mayor’s willingness to meet on a regular basis with our industry. Another frank exchange occurred with the mayor and his staff fielding questions from our stakeholders.
Later in the day, Mayor Victorino submitted a proposal to Governor Ige requesting further rule changes for his county. These include:
Mahalo, Mufi EAT THINK DRINK  Aloha, Tomorrow, January 12 at 6 p.m., the Hawai'i Lodging & Tourism Association will partner with the Hawai'i Agricultural Foundation to host the latest episode of HAF's extremely popular EAT THINK DRINK series. This online event will turn a keen focus upon the direction of our local tourism industry and will feature industry stakeholders who will be touching upon the difficult questions with which our industry's leaders must grapple: "How do we reshape tourism to keep our economy going while making sure we maintain livable communities?" "How can we innovate our existing industries such as agriculture with new technology, and create new programs to attract remote workers?" "Is it finally time to diversify our economy away from tourism?"  Following our opening remarks, there will be an in-depth discussion panel that will include the following individuals:
COVID-19 Case Count  We continue to see a troubling rise in new COVID-19 cases around the state. Over the past seven days, we've averaged 175 new, confirmed cases per day. Two weeks prior to that, our seven-day average hovered around the 120 mark. Two months ago, it was 105. As I noted in my most recent communication to you, it is clear that the majority of these new cases can be traced back to community spread rather than travelers to Hawai'i. In this regard, I must commend the efforts of those of you in the lodging industry for not only installing effective standards, but also holding your staffs and your guests accountable these guidelines. Your diligence is the reason that our industry can confidently state that we are not the cause of this most recent flare up of COVID-19.
That being said, it is clear that local residents need to buckle down. The last thing we want to see is stay-at-home orders or other stringent mandates put in place by our elected officials. We cannot afford another shutdown so I am asking you to please reiterate to every member of your staff that our livelihoods depends upon us and us alone. Encourage them to continue to social distance, wear their masks, limit the size of any gatherings, and practice good hygiene. We are mere months away from widespread dissemination of the COVID-19 vaccine, and we must continue to remain vigilant in the meantime. Mahalo, Mufi US Capitol RiotAloha, I know you were as appalled as I was by Wednesday’s mob violence at the Capitol. Anyone who believes in the ideals of America and our democracy would be dismayed and offended by what disrupted our elected representatives from dutifully approving the results of our election and the peaceful transition of Presidential authority. It is to the great credit of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, as well as the Congressional staff, that despite the melee that forced them to retreat temporarily to secure quarters, they reconvened to complete their business and unequivocally affirmed that the People have elected Joe Biden as the 46th President of our great nation. The criminal act by some reckless individuals, irresponsibly encouraged by the President himself, far exceeded the Constitutional right to freedom of speech and assembly. It has shaken the nation as well as other democracies and has prompted much finger-pointing and soul-searching. We all should love and respect our country. We have been blessed with freedoms and rights unrivaled in the world. Let’s hold the offenders accountable, put this ugly incident behind us, and move forward together as one to unite our citizenry and rebuild our nation. We need a little more Aloha and less rancor, racism, and divisiveness in our communities. Let’s hope and pray that 2021 will bring a renewed sense of faith, hope, and optimism into the lives of all Americans. COVID-19 Case CountThe recent spike in new COVID-19 cases has caused renewed discussion regarding the need for further restrictions to mitigate spread of the virus around our state. While these new positive cases are concerning, data collected by the State Department of Health indicates that these new clusters are almost entirely driven by community spread. Moreover, the vast majority of travel-related cases are tied to Hawai'i residents who have recently visited the mainland and returned having been infected. These findings were recently reiterated in the press by numerous elected officials including Mayor Victorino and Speaker Saiki. Even though several COVID-19 vaccines have been approved and are already being distributed throughout our state, it is incumbent on each of us to stay the course, social distance, limit the size of our gatherings, and wear our masks. We cannot lose sight of the goal now. I do commend Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi for not reacting to this recent spike in cases rashly and enacting further restrictions on our community. Thus far, he has indicated that no further restrictions are coming for O'ahu. Statewide COVID-19 PolicySpeaker Saiki also recently appeared on the Honolulu Star-Advertiser's Spotlight Hawaii with House Majority Leader Della Au Belatti and covered a number of topics including the House's intention to introduce legislation that would enact a statewide travel policy. During the segment, he remarked that our economy is a statewide economy and that travel and tourism plays a large role in said economy. As such, having sole counties that have different rules, or opt out of the Safe Travels program entirely, is problematic and represents further obstacles that would turn away prospective travelers.
Recent polling of travelers on Kaua'i supports this sentiment. Upwards of 80% of respondents indicated that Kaua'i will not be competitive with the other islands in any scenario outside of the Safe Travels program. A similar number of people indicated that the Garden Isle's quarantine requirements would lead to them opting to travel elsewhere. Speaker Saiki also indicated that the Legislature will be looking to pass legislation that would levy a fine against individuals who have defied COVID-19 mandates- much like a parking ticket. This is a concept that I proposed several months ago that would give the government the ability to enforce policies like mask mandates and limits on gathering size in a way that would encourage locals to wash their hands, wear their masks, and watch their distance. I have long said that it is important for us as an industry to consistently sing from the same hymn book when it comes to policy. Now more than ever, we need to look at coalescing behind a single plan of action, and we should be open to reviewing and supporting Speaker Saiki's planned legislation that would help us to achieve this. Mahalo, Mufi EAT THINK DRINK 13: Reimagining Tourism 2021  Aloha,
In partnership with the Hawai'i Agricultural Foundation, the Hawai'i Lodging & Tourism Association is pleased to announce that the latest episode of HAF's extremely popular EAT THINK DRINK series has been scheduled for January 12 at 6 p.m. and will focus on the future of our local tourism sector. The episode, entitled "Reimagining Tourism 2021 - Sustaining Our Future", will feature key industry leaders and stakeholders who will be faced with hard questions that our industry has been forced to ask of itself: "How do we reshape tourism to keep our economy going while making sure we maintain livable communities?" "How can we innovate our existing industries such as agriculture with new technology, and create new programs to attract remote workers?" "Is it finally time to diversify our economy away from tourism?" The event will be kicked off with remarks from yours truly as well as Paul Brewbaker of TZ Economics. This is to be followed by a discussion panel that will be moderated by Senate Tourism Chair Glenn Wakai. The panel will include the following participants:
This event has limited space so please register as soon as possible! You may visit the registration page by clicking any of the graphics or links in this email, or by clicking here. Hope to see you there! Mufi COVID-19 CommentaryAloha,
I hope that you had a festive and relaxing holiday with your loved ones. Although our gatherings were smaller than usual by Hawai'i standards, I am sure the love, cheer, and aloha felt by all was not dampened. I also want to send a quick mahalo to the properties that responded to our statewide survey last week. If you have not yet responded, please try to get this short set of questions filled out and back to us on Monday, close of business. Over the past several days, the findings of two troubling studies have been published in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. The first, which was run on Christmas Eve, reported that more than half of local restaurants may be forced to permanently close their doors by April if tourism does not experience a significant boost soon. Among the most telling statistics was that eighty-seven percent of restauranteurs that responded to the survey do not currently have access to financing to restart after a closure. Moreover, there has been a five-fold increase in restaurants that are currently behind in paying their bills. "Lagging tourism could lead to majority of Hawaii’s eateries shuttering by April, survey says," Honolulu Star-Advertiser, December 24, 2020 Yesterday, a study from the Bank of Hawaii Foundation reported that fifty-six percent of Hawai'i residents are currently struggling to pay their rent, mortgages, or utility bills, and that lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will only intensify this problem. Perhaps most distressing is the fact that this stat has climbed from forty-five percent a mere seven months ago. "More Hawaii residents struggle to pay bills, survey indicates," Honolulu Star-Advertiser, December 26, 2020 Also noted in the Star-Advertiser article was the fact that nearly three of four residents around the state supported the original Safe Travels program which did not require travelers to present their negative test results at their point of embarkation in order to bypass the quarantine period. This, along with the commercial and financial findings above, confirm the basis of our most recent letter to Governor Ige. As you may recall, a hui of more than 20 different organizations representing private business entities, trade organizations, and labor requested alterations to the pre-arrival testing program including:
Mahalo, Mufi December 21, 2020 COVID-19 ReliefAloha, The United States Congress is poised to pass a second round of COVID-19 relief aimed at helping American residents and businesses. While the final language of the bill is not yet available, reports and communications from Congressional members indicate that the package will include the following critical items:
COVID-19 CommentaryToday's edition of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser included a telling report from Waikiki Bureau Chief Allison Schaefers regarding HTA's most recent Resident Sentiment Survey and the current opinions of tourism among Hawai'i residents. Perhaps most telling is that resident support for tourism has fallen to its lowest level since 1988. Also troubling is the reported statistic that sixty-seven percent of respondents agreed with the statement that Hawai'i is being "run for tourists at the expense of local people". As a longtime member of this industry, I feel comfortable stating that these sentiments appear to be short-sighted and misguided. Despite suffering an unprecedented downturn in business due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our industry has continued to provide needed services in support of our community. From opting to suspend businesses, to ensuring that health benefits were maintained as long as possible, to assisting our local government in maintaining quarantine, to offering up our businesses as places for COVID-positive patients to self-isolate, we have more than pulled our weight as a member of the community. And this isn't limited to times of crisis. Consider the Visitor Industry Charity Walk which annually distributes millions of dollars to nonprofits around the state. The same event has contributed more than $2 million over a couple of years with matching funds from the State in support of initiatives to combat homelessness. Consider also the dozens of scholarships that HLTA awards to Hawai'i students. Moreover, many of our local hotel properties also have numerous community service programs like Prince Waikiki's quarterly harbor clean-up, Kyo-ya's annual Thanksgiving Dinner which has been held for 25 years in partnership with the Salvation Army, the Hyatt Regency Waikiki's support of countless local charities such as the Make-A-Wish Hawaii Foundation annual golf tournament fundraiser, and Hilton Hawaiian Village’s plethora of fundraisers for Institute for Human Services, to name a few. If anything, the results of this study have confirmed that our industry has a long road ahead of it. First and foremost, we must be focusing our efforts to restore travel to Hawai'i and bring as many of our people safely back to their jobs as possible. This is an area where HLTA has committed much of its energies- from establishing our health and safety protocols to petitioning Gov. Ige to make necessary changes to the Safe Travels program. But we must also be working tirelessly to demonstrate to the general public not only the economic stability that tourism provides through thousands of jobs and billions in revenues, but also the support that we, as an industry, give to local residents and the community as a whole. Food Distribution In brighter news, two food distribution events were recently held on the Garden Isle with more than 8,000 pounds of food being distributed. Among these was an event held for employees of the Koloa Landing Resort which has remained open throughout the pandemic. Each Koloa team member received water, peanut butter, salmon, dried fruit, apple juice, rice, dish washing liquid, bread, eggs, kalua pig, two pounds of fresh Kaua'i Shrimp, and a five-pound box of fresh fruits and vegetables.
HLTA was proud to be able to support these events through a donation made possible through our #AlohaLater campaign. Mahalo to HLTA board member Stephanie Iona for her leadership and our Kaua'i Chapter, Kekaha Agricultural Association, Kaua'i Shrimp, ʻĀina Ho'okupu O Kilauea, the Hawai'i Foodbank Kaua'i Branch , and Senate President Ron Kouchi for making these events possible! "Donations beef up food distributions," The Garden Island, December 18, 2020 Mahalo, Mufi Letter to Governor IgeAloha, Yesterday afternoon, we sent another letter to Governor Ige requesting amendments to the current requirements of the State's pre-arrival testing program which now requires that travelers have their negative test results in hand before departure if they are to avoid the mandatory 10-day quarantine once arriving in Hawai'i. The letter, which was signed by twenty-two different organizations representing private business, trade organizations, and labor, suggested the following:
Our communication to Governor Ige specifically focused on both the current economic strife being felt around our state, as well as the negative social effects caused by the pandemic. While it may be years before we truly understand these social impacts, it is clear that families are struggling in myriad ways and a surefire path to ease this suffering is to provide local workers with a means to earn a living while also maintaining their health and safety. We wholeheartedly believe that restoring our tourism economy and making travel to our state easy for tourists is the most expedient way to accomplish this. Mahalo to the following organizations for joining us as signatories on this letter:
Emergency ProclamationGovernor Ige signed his 17th emergency proclamation relating to the COVID-19 pandemic on Wednesday afternoon. Most notably, this update and extension to his emergency orders reduces the mandatory quarantine period from 14 days to 10 days in accordance with the CDC's most recent guidance.
It is also important to remember that Governor Ige's current emergency orders requires that all operating hotels are required to adopt a COVID-19 health and safety plan that must also be submitted to the Hawai'i Tourism Authority. As a reminder, HLTA members may use our Health, Safety, & Security Standards as their submitted plan. It is critical that we are all up-to-date and complying with the State's mandates. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding your health and safety plan, please feel free to contact our offices at any time. Have a great weekend, Mufi COVID-19 Update  Pictured above are the four executive panelists from HLTA's airline discussion that was held during our 193rd General Membership Meeting last month. Aloha,
As you may recall our General Membership Meeting included a first-class airline panel during which airline executives discussed the issues and challenges before them in helping Hawai'i's tourism industry recover responsibly and safely. The panel included: Southwest Airlines Executive Vice President & Chief Revenue Officer Andrew Watterson; Alaska Airlines Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Harrison; United Airlines Senior Vice President & Chief Customer Officer Toby Enqvist; and Hawaiian Airlines President & CEO Peter Ingram. It was very gratifying to see Alaska Airlines announced today its Hawai'i Pre-Clear Program which will allow passengers traveling to Hawai'i to receive Safe Travels approval prior to departure, thereby reducing their wait time once arriving in Honolulu. This program, which is being launched in coordination with the State, was piloted on Maui and will be rolled out to all flights to Honolulu and Kona next week. Alaska Airlines is the first airline to install a program of this nature, and it is sure to be a positive for West Coast-based travelers moving forward. This new program is in lock-step with other airline industry-wide efforts to better inform passengers what they can expect when traveling to Hawai'i. Airlines have all made significant changes to their their pre-travel notifications as well as informational efforts at check-in, in the departure lounge, and during boarding as well just before takeoff. These are just some of the steps being taken by our airline partners to make travel possible and, more importantly, amenable for prospective tourists. Similarly, we are working with HTA and the State administration to address the critical need to identify hotels in each county that are willing to house COVID-19 positive travelers without reservations who need a place to self-isolate. This is a very important priority of the State Department of Health and HI-EMA. In our ongoing dialogue with both entities and the Governor's office, they are pleased that we have already identified hotels on Maui and O'ahu and are working to do the same on Kaua'i and Hawai'i Island. Speaking of HTA and its President & CEO John De Fries, we continue our collaborative efforts to schedule sessions with our visitor industry stakeholders and our county mayors. This past week, we separately met with both Mayor Mike Victorino and Mayor Kirk Caldwell. Kudos to all of you that were able to attend these sessions. I hope you have a safe and great weekend, Mufi HLTA Golf Tournament Aloha, We are pleased to announce that our 2021 HLTA Golf Tournament is officially scheduled for January 21, 2021 at Pearl Country Club! Our 2021 golf event will be a fundraiser to benefit HLTA and assist us with operating costs. We will be adhering to all State and county guidelines regarding COVID-19 mitigation and are looking forward to having everybody together again. Registration will open next week. Please mark your calendar and keep the date open! Media ItemsA few days ago, I appeared on KHON2's Living808 segment to talk story with Tannya Joaquin about our Mākaukau campaign and the various steps Hawai'i's tourism industry has undertaken to safeguard the health of our travelers, hospitality industry employees, and our local populace. As you may know, this campaign was formed through a unique partnership between HLTA, the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, and the Hawai'i Agricultural Foundation. What started as an idea from our initial meetings grew into support from a wide range of businesses and stakeholders from around the state. Today on the Mākaukau website, you can access countless resources as well as a listing of the hotels and resorts that are open and ready to serve today. Late last month, I joined host Brickwood Galuteria on his show, Kūpuna Power, for a great discussion that you can watch here that was filmed at the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort (Please click Episode 15). Kūpuna Power was started back in 2012 as an annual event meant to empower local kūpuna with knowledge on important topics as they relate to everyday life. Other media items that may interest you: "House Speaker: Changing Hawaii’s Pre-Travel Testing Program ‘Doesn’t Serve The Public’," Civil Beat, November 24, 2020 "Some travelers frustrated with having to show negative COVID-19 test prior to departure," KHON2, November 25, 2020 "Debate Continues Over Balancing Economic Recovery And Public Health," November 26, 2020 "Business leaders, legislators urge governor to rethink new restrictions on pre-travel testing program," HNN, November 30, 2020 Commercial Rent Survey Island Business Management President Ryan Tanaka recently announced the third iteration of the Commercial Rent Survey which HLTA has sponsored in the past. For the first time, this survey will be shared nationwide. To participate, please visit this link. The survey will run from today through December 18 with the findings being shared in January 2021.
These surveys are used to gather and collate important economic data that can be used to propose vital economic policy from State, county, and now federal legislative bodies. The last survey found the following information which you may find interesting:
Mahalo, Mufi |
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