REGENERATIVE TOURISM CARES FOR OUR VISITORS.
For generations, the people of Hawaiʻi have thrived through systems designed not just to sustain - but to regenerate.
At the heart of these systems is the loʻi kalo: fed by mountain streams, rich in nutrients, and teeming with life. After the kalo is fed by nutrients upstream, water exits through the hoʻiwai — the point where that which flows returns to the stream. The hoʻiwai ensures the unbroken flow from mauka to makai, restoring water to the source in a better condition that it was received. The hoʻi ai is a model of reciprocity and renewal, reminding us that abundance comes not from consumption, but restoration.
The Community Tourism Collaborative - Regenerative Experiences program by HTA carries this ethic forward.
Experiences for visitors to Hawaiʻi can nourish our community and ʻāina, but they can also drain them. The CTC–Regenerative Experiences program supports those creating experiences that give more than they take. These businesses and nonprofits design offerings rooted in aloha ʻāina, cultural learning, a circular economy, and community connection - welcoming visitors into deep, meaningful, and reciprocal relationships with Hawaiʻi’s people and places.
They are the hoʻiwai of today — returning what was taken, restoring what remains, renewing what can still thrive.
WHAT THE PROGRAM OFFERS
The CTC - Regenerative Experiences program is an accelerator program for businesses and nonprofits hosting visitors or interested in hosting visitors for experiences that support the local circular economy, mālama ʻāina work, cultural promulgation and education, and meaningful connection. The program provides cohort members with:
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
PEER COHORT LEARNING
Develop new visitor experiences with guidance and tailored templates
Learn new skills within a mission and values-aligned community of partners
CAPACITY BUILDING
Strengthen abilities to prioritize regenerative options in experiences
VISITOR INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS
STRATEGIC SUPPORT
Receive tailored support from the program team and subject matter experts
Build pilina with stakeholders in the Hawai’i tourism sector
By supporting the development of new and revitalized regenerative visitor experiences, the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority seeks to attract a more mindful traveler that values genuine and reciprocal connection with place - building a visitor industry that cares for local community and place.
A SPOTLIGHT ON THE 2024 COHORT
In 2024, the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority was humbled and honored to support 15 businesses and nonprofits across five (5) islands in developing and refining regenerative experiences for our visitors that support our communities.
Click below to learn more about the work of these incredible organizations.
Onomea Bay, Pāpaʻikou, Hawaiʻi Island
Aloha with Touch Kauaʻi
Wailua, Kaua‘i
Anelakai
Adventures
Keauhou Bay, Kona, Hawaiʻi Island
Common Ground Kauaʻi
Kapaʻa, Kauaʻi
Hāna Arts
Hāna, Maui
Hoʻi Hoʻi Ea
Waikāne, Kāneʻohe, Oʻahu
Honpa Hongwanji Hawaiʻi Betsuin
Honolulu & Waiʻanae, Oʻahu
KAʻEHU
Paukūkalo, Wailuku, Maui
Kahuku Farms
Kahuku, Oʻahu
Kuilima Farm
Kahuku, Oʻahu
Mahina Farms Maui
ʻĪao, Wailuku, Maui
Men of PAʻA
Pāhoa, Puna, Hawaiʻi Island
Kaunakakai, Molokaʻi
Haleʻiwa, Waialua, Oʻahu
Tea Hawaiʻi & Company
Volcano Village, Puna, Hawaiʻi Island
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE & CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAMS BY
To support development of a more regenerative tourism industry, the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority introduced a suite of three new programs in 2024, collectively known as the Technical Assistance & Capacity Building (TACB) programs. Click below to learn more about how these programs are impacting businesses and nonprofits across Hawaiʻi.
The Foundational Technical Assistance program seeks to connect local businesses and nonprofits with foundational knowledge and connections with the visitor industry through a series of free, public panels, workshops, and seminars held across Hawaiʻi and streamed virtually.
The Community Stewardship program is a cohort based initiative aiming to assist local nonprofits that care for ʻāina and wahi pana (sacred places) taxed by tourism by connecting them with the visitor industry, expert assistance, and increased ʻike (knowledge) to build their internal capacity.
The Regenerative Experiences program is a cohort based initiative that aims to expand Hawaiʻi’s regenerative visitor industry by working with local businesses and nonprofits to develop more culturally-based, sustainable experiences for visitors that support local communities.
CONTACT US
Hoping to learning more about the move toward a more regenerative visitor industry for Hawaiʻi?
Interested in joining one of HTA’s cohort programs, or learning more about upcoming Foundational Technical Assistance workshops?
Fill out the contact form to the right, and we will be in touch soon.