HONOLULU (HI Now) - The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority’s Destination Management Action Plans (DMAPs), a collaborative effort between HTA, community, local counties, and island visitor bureaus, aim to redefine tourism’s trajectory in Hawaiʻi’s major islands. These plans, outlined in HTA’s Strategic Plan 2020-2025,prioritize responsible tourism by addressing issues like over crowding and strained infrastructure while preserving natural and cultural assets.
As the Kohala community witnessed the increasing number of visitors and residents into the valley over the years, the community concerns about over tourism amplified, and in the summer of 2021, Na Ala Hele Trails, Hawai’i Tourism Authority and Kupu with the community’s support, worked together on a pilot project to hire resident-stewards to share the natural and cultural history of Pololū to help mitigate the impact of tourism in the valley. Today, the Pololū Stewardship Program has four stewards who are positioned at the top of the valley. Stewards engage visitors before going into the valley to remind them to be mindful of Hawaiian burial grounds, to be careful of currents and rough ocean conditions, danger in the sometimes rugged and slippery trail and to make sure they have water with them. For those who visit with stewards a little longer, they learn some of the mo’olelo or stories of the area to give visitors a deeper connection to the place. For more information, visit dlnr.hawaii.gov/recreation/nah/hawaii.
Kohala Food Hub’s vision is to build a sustainable regional food system and agricultural model for the Hawaiian Islands and beyond, supporting our island’s resilience, human health and welfare, ecosystems, and economy. Our collaborations with food hubs statewide, local government, agencies, community groups and non-profit organizations is central to our work of becoming more food secure and less reliant on imports throughout the Hawaiian Islands. For more information, visit kohalafoodhub.com and on social media @kohalafoodhub.
For more information on how the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority is moving the Destination Management Action Plan forward, visit holomua.hawaiitourismauthority.org and on @hawaii_island_dmap on Instagram.
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