Hawaii Governor Josh Green signed a bill promoting regenerative tourism into law late last month, new legislation that state officials said will protect cultural and natural resources while bolstering career opportunities for residents within the visitor industry.
“Sustainable tourism is essential for the future of our state,” Green said in a June 29 statement. “This bill ensures that our visitor industry grows in a way that respects and preserves our cultural heritage while promoting economic diversification."
Green signed Senate Bill 2659 in Honolulu last week at a ceremony attended by lawmakers and state tourism stakeholders, including Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) leadership.
The new legislation will add sustainable tourism objectives to the Hawaii State Planning Act and its Tourism Functional Plan, according to an HTA statement. Those documents direct operations at both the state and county level in Hawaii, the HTA said.
Senate Bill 2659 not only aims to reduce the visitor industry’s ecological footprint across the islands to “sustain and improve the quality of life for Hawaii’s people,” but will also support more education and job training for residents to boost “upward career mobility in the visitor industry,” the statement reads.
“We need to move toward a regenerative model of tourism that is a net benefit for Hawaii’s environment and communities, while continuing to support hundreds of thousands of jobs and many small businesses across the islands,” HTA vice chair Mahina Paishon said in the statement. “That call has driven our actions here at HTA, and this law signifies that regenerative tourism is a priority for our legislature, as well as Governor Green’s administration.”
The new legislation will also support other economic sectors across the state in an effort to reduce Hawaii’s economic dependence on tourism, according to the HTA statement.
