For generations, acres of loʻi kalo fed the people of Hawaiʻi. The regenerative water system created centuries of successful farming throughout the pae ʻāina. The loʻi kalo system borrowed water from streams, nourished acres of kalo fields, and returned the water saturated with nutrients from the fertile ecosystem. The system returned the water in a better condition than it was received. Even if the system ended there, it would have been regenerative. However, the water system's regeneration continued downstream. The nutrient rich water fed ʻoʻopu, iʻa, and limu throughout the streams. Not only were these gathered and eaten, but even further downstream these momona ʻoʻopu, iʻa, and limu fed schools of larger iʻa and other seafood in the loko iʻa system creating even more opportunities for sustenance and a food security system that fed thousands of families for hundreds of generations.

Much like the water system of old Hawaiʻi, the Community Tourism Collaborative programs from the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA) strive to model business and organizational accelerators after the regenerative loʻi kalo system in a commitment to growing Hawaiʻi's communities. We encourage businesses and organizations, both currently operating in the visitor industry and those who would like to operate in the visitor industry, to take advantage of these programs, absorb all of the nutrient rich information that our mentors, trainers, and facilitators have to share, and to return back to the industry and the community to uplift our Hawaiʻi for a regenerative tomorrow. The two technical assistance and capacity building programs being offered: the Community Stewardship Program and the Regenerative Experiences Program remind us of our role in Hawaiʻi - to mālama this regenerative system and give back to our communities for today, for tomorrow, and for the future generations yet to come.

The Community Tourism Collaboratives (CTC) are a suite of programs powered by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority to provide opportunities to those stewarding Hawaiʻi as a destination and to those who are ensuring that our destination regenerates our communities and remains the unique, culturally saturated, resource rich, authentic home in perpetuity. The first two programs in this suite are focused around providing community stewardship organizations with capacity building opportunities to grow their efforts and to create and expand regenerative experiences and activities throughout Hawaiʻi pae ʻāina.