Christine Hitt
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green spoke at Travel Weekly's Hawaii Leadership Forum last week, taking the audience through challenges the state has faced and where things are now.
"We're still recovering, of course," he said of the Maui fires. "In the moments after the wildfire, we knew of course that it would take years to rebuild. We also knew that it would have an immediate impact on how people viewed us, whether they thought we were suffering, whether they should or shouldn't come."
Green said he knew he had to be deliberate in how it was announced that it was okay to travel back to Maui, adding that tourism and economic activities are already back to baseline, with the exception of parts of West Maui. "It helped us to recover so much sooner," he said.
He said he is actively working to restore tourism from Japan, which has not fully recovered since the pandemic. "I'm off to Japan every four months to restore that market, and it is gradually coming back," Green said. "Some things are beyond the scope of even the government to get business back and help them travel to our state."
He also brought up last year's rivalry between the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB) and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) and rounds of canceled contract awards for the U.S. marketing contract.
"We have navigated that problem; there is now peace; the contracts went out seamlessly; and ultimately, we have both great partners in HVCB and CNHA," he said. "I'm here to report to you that there's stability; there's stability in the market. So there's one less thing that you guys have to worry about as you look to bring people into this beautiful state of ours."
Currently, Green said, he's placing a significant amount of emphasis on climate issues and regulating illegal Airbnbs and illegal short-term rentals, as he tries to add more housing inventory for local residents. He also said he is engaged in the Alaska and Hawaiian airlines merger to ensure there's a smooth transition.
"So you'll see us deal with travel by airlines, the short-term rentals, the change in tourism and how we approach things," Green said. "But most importantly, what you'll see is you will see us recover."