Agency plans hearings on sustainable tourism
Advertiser Staff and News Services
The State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism will hold public meetings on all islands next month to gather input on sustainable tourism.
Each meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and end at 9:30 p.m. The meetings will be facilitated by John Knox, the project's consultant for public input and sociocultural impact research, and by Dr. Peter Adler.
The schedule:
- Nov. 6, Hilo i University of Hawai'i-Hilo Campus Center
- Nov. 7, Kona i Kealakehe High School cafeteria
- Nov. 12, Lana'i i Lana'i Library Meeting Room
- Nov. 13, Moloka'i i Mitchell Pau'ole Center
- Nov. 14, Maui i Lokelani Intermediate School cafeteria (Kihei)
- Nov. 25, Kaua'i i Kaua'i High School cafeteria
- Nov. 26, O'ahu i Washington Intermediate cafeteria
"These meetings will engage interested people in the community in a discussion on growth and change in the visitor industry," said Pearl Imada Iboshi, head of DBEDT's Research and Economic Analysis Division.
People unable to attend the meetings may give written input through the project's Web site: www.hawaiitourismstudy.com.
The Sustainable Tourism Study is being conducted to develop strategies and policy tools to predict and help ease the impacts of future tourism growth. Three separate studies are being conducted under the project to look at specific aspects of tourism growth impacts. These include reports on Hawai'i's public resources and environment, an analytical model of potential impacts, and investigation into social impacts and public perceptions.
The November meetings are the first of two rounds on all islands to gather input for the study. A second round will be held next summer to present tentative results of the project and gather public input for the final report.
