In a scathing indictment of Hawai‘i’s tourism leadership, Governor Josh Green has announced sweeping changes to the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), branding the organisation “a hot mess” and calling for the resignation of its entire board by 1 July 2025.
The dramatic move comes after years of mounting frustration over the HTA’s performance, culminating in a six-hour legislative hearing in which lawmakers criticised the agency for mismanagement, lack of financial discipline, and failure to transition from a growth-driven tourism model to one focused on sustainability and local impact.
Governor Green formalised the restructuring on 31 May by signing legislation that strips the HTA board of its decision-making powers, reducing it to an advisory role. Operational authority now shifts to the agency’s President and CEO, who will report directly to the Governor effectively placing the tourism body under executive control for the first time. “Governor Green plans on asking for courtesy resignations from the entire board,” a statement from his office confirmed. “Because the responsibilities of the board have changed to an advisory role, he feels it best to start with a clean slate.”
The Governor’s remarks, while candid, underscore what many in the industry have seen for years: a tourism authority adrift, with a lack of clear leadership, meaningful accountability, and strategic direction in an era demanding bold, thoughtful reform. Critics argue that the HTA has failed to adapt to the shifting expectations of both residents and visitors. Its long-standing emphasis on increasing visitor arrivals has not only worn thin with local communities but has also failed to deliver sustainable long-term value. Despite years of calls for change, meaningful progress on destination stewardship and community engagement has been slow and inconsistent.
During the hearing, lawmakers floated radical alternatives, including folding the HTA into existing state departments or replacing it altogether with a private, independent destination management body, a recommendation originally proposed by consultancy Better Destinations over a year ago. HTA’s interim CEO and Director of Planning, Caroline Anderson, put a positive spin on the transition, noting, “The new legislation creates a direct reporting relationship between HTA’s President and CEO and the Governor.” She called it an opportunity to “enhance the impact and responsiveness” of Hawai‘i’s tourism efforts.
The broader context is bleak. Hawai‘i’s tourism sector continues to underperform against pre-pandemic levels. Governor Green has framed the moment as an opportunity to “pioneer a new tourism model.” But with confidence in the HTA at a historic low and its governance structure in flux, the path forward remains unclear. What’s certain is that the coming months will be critical in determining whether this shake-up leads to meaningful reform or simply another cycle of bureaucratic reshuffling in America’s most tourism-dependent state.
