Even before the pandemic, movements were underway to steer the Hawaiian visitor industry towards a model that gives back more than it needs. Industry experts call this “regenerative tourism”, a system in which the benefits of tourism outweigh the costs.

Island communities are feeling the effects of the post-pandemic Rush of visitors – whether traffic on the Hāna Highway or overcrowded surf breaks in Waikīkī. If left unchecked, these “costs” can hurt the industry in the long run, says John De Fries, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

“If we are not clear about who we are, our responsibility to take care of our ‘aina, take care of our quays, take care of our children and communities – if we do not shape this into a new tourism model, we won’t make it. ”to compete successfully,” says De Fries, “and we won’t be able to maintain the trust of our communities that this industry can actually be beneficial for our quality of life.”

Pauline Sheldon, professor and former dean of the School of Travel Industry Management at UH Mānoa, says the answer could be in “regenerative tourism”. She has studied this model for years in countries like Canada and New Zealand and says it requires a change in mindset.

“It is very important that we stop looking at tourism as an industry. It’s a system that is embedded in other living systems – food systems, health systems, medical systems, transportation systems, ”says Sheldon. “So if we see it as a system that is connected to other networks, then we make completely different decisions than if we only think of one industry.”

The hospitality industry emphasizes a “regenerative mindset” in its latest marketing campaign Hawaiian Conservation.

“Again the message we convey through Mālama (Hawaiʻi) invites our visitor to come to Hawaii. Join the community, help keep this place beautiful so your grandchildren can come and visit and my grandchildren can live here in their homes, ”said Kainoa Daines, director of culture and product development at Hawai Visitorsi Visitors and Convention office.

Daines says the campaign is more than just news.

“So right now people can stay in a hotel in Hawaii, and each hotel has an incentive to stay at the hotel – third night free, fourth night free, free meal cards, or whatever – they in turn,” go and they give something back to a nonprofit, ”says Daines.

That could mean working in a taro patch or restoring a Hawaiian fish pond. But Daines says the program is not for everyone.

Some communities hard hit by the pandemic are unwilling to welcome tourists back and others are unwilling to accept large numbers of visitors.

Sheldon hopes Hawaii can use this pandemic lull to create meaningful visitor experiences in thriving communities.

“But on a more macroeconomic level, I think that if we create regenerative tourism here and around the world, we can make a contribution to living a fairer and more regenerative life on the planet,” says Sheldon we do our work for ourselves. “

A model could emerge from this work that leads to not only economically healthy but also sustainable tourism.

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