REGENERATIVE TOURISM IN HAWAIʻI
Travel that gives back - to people, place, and culture.
Hawaiʻi is reimagining what tourism can be. Rooted in local values like mālama (care), kuleana (responsibility), and aloha (connection), regenerative tourism is about creating positive impacts - for communities, for the environment, and for future generations. Across the islands, local businesses, cultural practitioners, and community organizations are leading the way - welcoming visitors to engage with Hawaiʻi in deeper, more meaningful ways.
OUR COMMITMENT TO REGENERATIVE TOURISM
In its 2020–2025 Strategic Plan, the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA) committed to a bold shift in strategy: one where tourism supports community well-being alongside broad economic growth.
HTA’s four guiding pillars - Natural Resources, Hawaiian Culture, Community, and Brand Marketing - reflect a broader vision of tourism as a relationship, not just transaction. That vision became even more grounded with the creation of Destination Management Action Plans (DMAPs) for each island, which prioritize:
RESPECT FOR CULTURE AND PLACE
COMMUNITY-LED STEWARDSHIP
ROBUST VISITOR EDUCATION
In 2024, Hawaiʻi became the first U.S. state to formally incorporate regenerative tourism into its statewide planning framework, signaling this shift is not just aspirational - it’s policy.
ALIGNMENT WITH LOCAL VALUES
REDUCTION OF NEGATIVE IMPACTS
Hawaiʻi has reached a crossroads. Tourism continues to be a vital part of the economy - but its impacts are deeply felt in housing, traffic, environmental degradation, and cultural erasure.
Regenerative tourism offers a new path. Not a perfect fix - but a commitment to doing better. A commitment to pono (righteousness, balance), and to creating a visitor industry that’s in service to the place, not at its expense.
REGENERATION IN ACTION
Across Hawaiʻi, regenerative tourism is already taking root:
O‘AHU
On the North Shore, visitors explore sacred sites and native landscapes guided by moʻolelo and mālama ʻāina values.
HAWAI’I ISLAND
In Keauhou Bay just south of Kona, canoe tours connect guests to ocean conservation and Hawaiian coastal traditions.
MOLOKA‘I
On the rugged West side, visitors participate in restoring native coastal ecosystems alongside local land stewards.
KAUA‘I
In Kīlauea, travelers and locals alike connect with nature and culture through traditional lei-making practices and food.
MAUI
In famed ʻIao Valley, guests learn about regenerative agriculture through hands-on experiences at a working farm.
The above are more than tours and experiences.
They are acts of care, curiosity, and conversation.
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.