E-Bulletin: Discover the New Normal in Airlift at the 2013 Hawaii Tourism Conference

Scheduled air seats are on track to end the year at record levels and with increased traffic to the Hawaiian Islands, the state is investing millions in airport upgrades across the state.

To find out more about airlift to the Hawaiian Islands and the Hawaii Airports Modernization Program, join Brad DiFiore, managing partner at Ailevon Air Service Consulting and Ford Fuchigami, deputy director at the State of Hawaii Department of Transportation - Airports Division at the 2013 Hawaii Tourism Conference. Conference attendees will receive updates on the latest plans for Hawaii's airports, and tips on what can be done to attract and maintain lift to the islands.

Special early-bird registration rates are available for a limited time, now through July 31! For more information or to register for the Hawaii Tourism Conference, click here.

AEG Facilities Selected to Manage Hawaii Convention Center

The HTA recently announced the selection of a new contractor to manage the Hawaii Convention Center (HCC). AEG Facilities (AEG) will manage and operate the HCC as of January 2014 through December 2018. As part of the HTA's "Meet Hawaii" meetings, conventions and incentive (MCI) team, AEG will be responsible for boosting and optimizing usage of the HCC, by increasing bookings and drawing international visitors to the facility to help grow the MCI market and further position Hawaii as a premier business destination. Read More

HTA, VASH Release Safety eBrochure

To enhance the safety of our visitors, the HTA worked with the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawai'i (VASH), an HTA-sponsored traveler's aid organization, to release an online Safety eBrochure that offers safety tips from state and county agencies.

Available in English, the Safety eBrochure will be translated into Chinese, Japanese and Korean later this year. It is currently available for download on the HTA's Travel Smart Hawaii website. We encourage you to download the eBrochure and share this information with your guests. Read More

H-1 Traffic Update

Starting later this summer, the State of Hawaii Department of Transportation (DOT) will begin its H-1 Freeway Rehabilitation project between Middle Street and Ward Avenue. The year-long reconstruction project will include nightly lane and ramp closures from 8 p.m.-4 a.m., Sunday night through Friday mornings. The freeway will also completely shut down in one direction at a time within this vicinity for up to 120 work nights during the noted construction hours.

The last major resurfacing of this section of the freeway took place in the late 1990s. In addition to resurfacing the roadways, the upcoming rehabilitation will also include replacing highway lighting and widening of the Nuuanu Stream Bridge.

The project will likely impact residents and visitors traveling to and from Waikiki and the airport. The DOT acknowledges the inconvenience that this project will cause and is working with the HTA to keep Hawaii's visitor industry informed. The DOT and HTA ask that you please relay and share this vital information with your guests to minimize the impact on their experience, as well as with your employees so they can plan accordingly for their commute to and from work.

For further information, please click here. We also encourage you to visit the DOT website for ongoing updates.

HTA recognizes the use of the 'okina ['] or glottal stop, one of the eight consonants of the (modern) Hawaiian language; and the kahakō[ā] or macron (e.g., in place names of Hawai'i such as Lāna'i). However, HTA respects the individual use of these markings for names of organizations and businesses. Due to technological limitations, this current communication may not include all Hawaiian diacritical markings.