Tourism summit tackles issues
By Kelly Yamanouchi
Advertiser Staff Writer
As Gov. Linda Lingle prepares for a tourism summit scheduled today, visitor industry and legislative leaders are getting ready to raise issues ranging from the Hawai'i Tourism Authority's makeup to the need for harbor upgrades.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
More than 30 people have been invited to the meeting. The governor said the summit will be closed to the public to encourage frank discussion.
Today's meeting of tourism and government leaders will focus on issues as specific as the Hawai'i Tourism Authority and as sweeping as how to sustain the industry and keep hotels such as the Sheraton Waikiki, above, filled.
The meeting will be the first in a series of discussions to talk about the future of the industry, Lingle said. The intent is to "refocus our attention, think through what we've been doing, whether or not what we've been doing is what we keep doing," she said.
Lingle said she decided to convene the summit because she has fielded calls from leaders in the tourism industry "and they're all talking to me, but I don't think they're talking to each other."
David Carey, chief executive of Outrigger Enterprises Inc., said he wants to hear how tourism fits into the governor's long-term strategy for business in the state.
"Is tourism going to be a growth industry, is it going to be a steady industry or should we reduce the size?" he asked.
Some see the meeting as a chance to bring up ideas that failed under the last governor, Ben Cayetano.
House Speaker Calvin Say wants to discuss the creation of a Waikiki authority that would contribute to the revitalization of the aging tourism destination, an idea he proposed last year but that lacked sufficient support.
Rick Egged, president of the Waikiki Improvement Association, hopes the state would contribute to redeveloping Waikiki through a hotel tax credit bill that lawmakers are considering.
Say also plans to ask the governor if she would support revenue bonds to pay for harbor improvements in anticipation of the arrival of additional Norwegian Cruise Line ships based in Hawai'i.
Carey also wants to discuss the role of the tourism authority on which he serves as a board member.
"Where I'm troubled is the original notion of the HTA was to have a dedicated source of funding that was more or less free from large-scale political interference and uncertainty and, as it's evolved, that has not happened," Carey said.
He also has concerns about the items that the tourism authority is asked to pay for, such as $500,000 for FieldTurf at Aloha Stadium.
"You know the FieldTurf's a good idea but it's not necessarily in the HTA's mission. The state should spend money on it," Carey said. "I voted for it because there's no other way to get it done."
Carey believes that the tourism authority has not done much recently. "The first two, two and a half years, they were terrifically effective," he said.
Since then some believe that the tourism authority has dedicated more time and resources to responding to criticisms of mismanagement from the Legislature and state auditor.
"After the audit everybody became, in my opinion, overly concerned with the process," said
Keith Vieira, senior vice president of Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Hawai'i.
Lingle said she has heard from critics that the tourism authority is not living up to expectations.
"There's feeling in the industry that that model is not working the way it had been expected to work," Lingle said.
Others believe that the tourism authority has been improving.
"You've gotta crawl before you can walk. That's what's been happening with the authority," Say said.
Tourism authority executive director Rex Johnson said he wants to hear what the concerns are before he responds.
