The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA) will hold two in-person community meetings on September 10 and 11, 2025, to gather public input from Kaua‘i residents on the island’s future tourism plans. These sessions are part of the ongoing development of Kaua‘i’s Destination Management Action Plan, designed to align tourism growth with community needs, natural resource protection, and overall resident well-being.
The meetings follow earlier sessions held in August and mark the second of three planned rounds of engagement with Kaua‘i residents. “These sessions are a chance for residents to share their mana‘o on tourism in a way that reflects the needs, values and priorities of their communities,” said Caroline Anderson, Interim President and CEO of HTA. Registration is required, and attendance is limited to Kaua‘i residents.
Meeting Schedule and Registration
Both sessions will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. and are free to attend. The West Kaua‘i Technology Center will host the first meeting on September 10, with registration open until September 7. The second session will be held at Kukui Grove Shopping Center on September 11, with registration closing on September 8.
HTA will ask attendees for input on specific locations, challenges they experience, and suggestions for tourism management. These discussions will help shape the final version of the Destination Management Action Plan, expected to be completed after the third round of meetings in December.
Statewide Community Engagement
HTA is also organizing similar sessions throughout the Hawaiian Islands in September and October. Meetings are scheduled for Central Maui (Sept. 17), West Maui (Sept. 18), Central Oʻahu (Sept. 24), Honolulu (Sept. 25), Kona (Oct. 1), Hilo (Oct. 2), Moloka‘i (Oct. 7), and Lāna‘i (Oct. 9). Each will be held from 6 to 8 p.m., with registration deadlines a few days prior to each event.
The initiative is part of HTA’s ongoing effort to include local perspectives in tourism planning, particularly in response to post-pandemic changes in travel behavior and resident expectations. Attendance at these sessions is limited to residents of the host island.
Community Input Driving Tourism Policy
Insights gathered in previous rounds of meetings in 2020 have already led to actionable changes. These include removing up to 200 unauthorized rental vehicles per day from Līhu‘e Airport, supporting land stewardship on O‘ahu, creating the East Maui Advisory Group to oversee high-impact areas on the Road to Hāna, and launching a visitor stewardship program in Pololū Valley on Hawai‘i Island.
“At these two meetings, we will ask Kaua‘i residents more about specific places, the issues they experience and their ideas to address them,” said Anderson. HTA continues to focus on balancing tourism development with the needs and values of local communities.
For more information or to register for the upcoming sessions, visit: hawaiitourismauthority.org.
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