The Maui News
In coordination with various community members and partners, the Hawai’i Tourism Authority is launching new videos featuring a cross-section of Maui residents welcoming mindful visitation and sharing how visitors can malama Maui, a news release said.
“Heeding the community’s guidance, HTA and our partners are educating travelers before and after they arrive with clear-cut ways they can support Maui by visiting with respect and compassion,” said Daniel Naho’opi’i, HTA’s interim president and CEO. “We are working to ensure they understand the current situation and that their travel experience may be slightly different than what they are accustomed to.”
In addition, Gov. Josh Green’s Office of Wellness and Resilience, HTA and Maui County have partnered to create informational flyers and screen signage with tips for respectful, compassionate and responsible travel to support the community’s healing. The resources are being distributed to visitors, airlines, accommodations, rental car companies, shops, restaurants, tour operators and other businesses.
The Hawai’i Tourism Authority and its Hawai’i Tourism United States team has produced a series of pre-arrival video messages centered around the voices of the people of Maui.
The messages complement the Malama Maui videos highlighting various ways to support the community by visiting areas throughout the island that are welcoming travel, a news release said.
The messages from Maui residents, including those who work in the tourism industry, have a business on Maui, and a kumu hula have been posted.
It will continue to be posted, in the coming weeks, via HTA and @GoHawaii on Instagram and on the global marketing team’s social media accounts in Canada, Oceania (Australia and Aotearoa), Japan, Korea and China with subtitles in the respective market languages.
As visitors arrive, a cross-section of Maui kamaaina (residents) and kanaka maoli (Native Hawaiians) are sharing ways visitors can care for the Valley Isle in a newly released Malama Maui video.
The informational flyers and graphics for display screens are geared toward visitors with tips for respectful, compassionate and responsible travel. This inter-agency collaboration follows the leadership and guidance of Gov. Green and Mayor Richard Bissen who continue to emphasize mental health support for Maui disaster survivors, the news release said.
Some of the tips include, not entering Lahaina town or take photos from the area, even from afar as well as do not ask a resident their personal experience with the disaster.
To review HTA’s Malama Maui toolkit to view and download these resources, including an updated map of Maui at: www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/maui-recovery/for-businesses/.
