Mufi's Message, 03.01.19

Visitor Public Safety Conference, 03/28

​For the Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism Association, Visitor and Public Safety is and has been one of our major priority issues.  As a former Director of the State Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism and Mayor of the City & County of Honolulu, and currently as the President & CEO of the Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism Association, I have always said that our tourism industry relies heavily on the fact that we are a safe place to live, play, visit, and do business. 
 
To that end, HLTA along with industry partners held the first-ever Visitor Public Safety Conference exactly one year ago.  The conference was a huge success, as it addressed rising concerns in the realm of public safety and established a list of goals and initiatives, many of which are part of  the Honolulu Police Department priorities and was included in the City’s newly unveiled Waikiki crime-fighting plan (view the Honolulu Star-Advertiser article here).
 
In response to a successful conference in 2018, we are partnering with the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, the Waikiki Improvement Association, and the Waikiki Business Improvement District Association to host the second annual Visitor Public Safety conference, once again bringing to the table public safety stakeholders: the Honolulu Police Department,  the Hawai‘i Hotel Visitor Industry Security Association, Visitor Aloha Society of Hawai‘i, Retail Merchants of Hawai‘i, Adult Friends for Youth, Storefront School, and the Military.  Today we held a planning committee meeting to gear up for our March 28th morning conference.  This year’s meeting, albeit on a more abbreviated timeline, will cover updates and initiatives in local law enforcement, and will address the following six key areas that are related or impacted by crime: community ,  business, visitors, military, youth, and homelessness.  The conference will conclude with ways that we as an industry can follow-up and follow through with current and future legislation, programs, and initiatives.
 
Stay tuned as we release more details and registration information for our Visitor Public Safety Part II.

Hospitality Industry Pau Hana (HIP) on Thursday, 03/21

 Speaking of public safety, I am happy to announce that we are recognizing Jerry Dolak of Outrigger Resorts with our prestigious Kahiau Award.  Jerry has been on the front lines championing visitor and public safety, in his capacity as Director of Security & Safety for Outrigger Resorts, as well as President of HHVISA, the Hawaii Hotel Visitor Industry Security Association.  In addition to being an active member of our organization,  Jerry has been a valued partner in many of our emergency management seminars, as well as coordinates our security efforts for the Visitor Industry Charity Walk on Oahu.  It is a pleasure to award Jerry with the Kahiau Award, bestowed upon an “unsung hero” whose contributions to tourism are both valuable and constant. 
 
Join us at HIP on Thursday, Mach 21st to celebrate Jerry Dolak, our admirable Kahiau Award winner at Appetito Craft Pizza & Wine Bar, located in the Ohana Waikiki East by Outrigger!  Tickets are available here. 

Strike Out Domestic Violence, 04/12

Last year, Oahu took a page from the HLTA Kauai Chapter and unveiled a new initiative: a bowling tournament to help raise funds for the Visitor Industry Charity Walk.  2018’s Strike Out Homelessness successfully raised $10,000 for groups supporting the homelessness community, and we hope to continue to do so.  Our partners at Salem Media helped us organize last year’s event which was filled with competitive fun, and ono grinds from The Alley!  We look forward to hana hou-ing this evening of fellowship and fundraising for a worthy cause.  
 
The idea behind this perennial event will be to rotate focus and fundraise to support a new area of priority each year.  For 2019, we will concentrate our efforts to “Strike Out Domestic Violence.”
 
Join us at Aiea Bowl on Friday, April 12th as we bowl for this important cause!  If you are interested in participating either as a team (of 6 bowlers) or as a prize donor, please direct your requests to Senior Director of Operations, Edgar Palafox of my staff.  We hope to see you there!