Posted on: Friday, July 19, 2002

Tourism bureau seeks extension of contract

By Dan Nakaso
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawai'i Visitors & Convention Bureau officials, whose three-year contract to market Hawai'i's leisure visitor industry expires Dec. 31, have asked the Hawai'i Tourism Authority to grant a one-year extension or award them a new contract outright.

The request by Tony Guerrero, who sits on the HVCB board, will be considered by the authority next week.

Guerrero wrote to the authority requesting the extension, saying it is necessary to prevent any break in marketing Hawai'i should someone else win the contract.

And if the HVCB should lose the contract, Guerrero said, it's required to give its employees 90 days notice of any terminations.

"You know the way things work in this state," Guerrero said. "Even if they started (the bidding process) today, they ain't gonna be done by December."

But Guerrero and Frank Haas, the authority's marketing consultant, said no other potential bidder for the contract has been identified.

The current contract is worth $37 million this year, plus $10 million granted from the Legislature after Sept. 11 and another $2 million in emergency money from the authority.

Staff of the tourism authority has made a recommendation, but Haas would not give details of the recommendation yesterday, saying board members were receiving details on the proposal today.

Eighteen months ago, visitors bureau officials asked the authority to begin the bidding process for the next contract, said Tony Vericella, president and chief executive officer of the HVCB. The request never went into effect, he said.