Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 37, Number 8, 1 ʻAukake 2020 — Hawai'i Tourism Authority Adopts 'Āina Aloha Declaration [ARTICLE]

Hawai'i Tourism Authority Adopts 'Āina Aloha Declaration

The Hawai'i Tourism Authority's (HTA) Board of Directors has adopted the 'Āina Aloha Eeonomie Futures declaration, joining thousands of Hawai'i community members, businesses and organizations. 'Āina Aloha's declaration was drafted by a group of Native Hawaiian community members who eame together at the start of the COVID19 pandemic united by a deep and abiding love for Hawai'i's eommunities and natural environment. Kalani Kaanaana, HTA Director of Hawaiian Cultural Affairs and Natural Resources, is one of the 14 collaborative authors of the 'Āina Aloha declaration. The declaration serves as a starting point to facilitate broader engagement and collective action. It was sent to Governor David Ige on May 19, 2020. Na'ālehu Anthony and Mahina Paishon-Duarte presented 'Āina Aloha's guiding principles and four-step community engagement process to HTA board members and explained the importance of having the four principles guide Hawai'i's eeonomie recovery. Shared Anthony, "The entire initiative is grounded in our kuana'ike Hawai'i, Hawaiian perspective and values, that have sustained us for generations. The values resonate with all of us who are privileged to eall Hawai'i home." "We are in unprecedented times," Paishon-Duarte noted. "This requires unprecedented leadership, and having the HTA Board eome stand alongside us is a prime example of that." 'Āina Aloha's core values align with HTA's new strategic plan and its guiding pillars, whieh include supporting programs that perpetuate the Hawaiian culture, preserving Hawai'i's natural resources, strengthening the eommunity and brand marketing. "The board's unanimous adoption of the 'Āina Aloha Eeonomie Futures Declaration is a milestone in the work we do at HTA to move

our tourism economy toward a regenerative model guided by our shared values, as we strive to improve the quality of life for Hawai'i's residents," said Kaanaana.