§201B-7 Tourism-related activities. (a) The authority may enter into contracts and agreements that include the following:

(1) Tourism promotion, marketing, and development;

(2) Market development-related research;

(3) Product development and diversification issues focused on visitors;

(4) Promotion, development, and coordination of sports-related activities and events;

(5) Promotion of Hawaii, through a coordinated statewide effort, as a place to do business, including high technology business, and as a business destination;

(6) Reduction of barriers to travel;

(7) Marketing, management, use, operation, or maintenance of the convention center facility, including the purchase or sale of goods or services, logo items, concessions, sponsorships, and license agreements, or any use of the convention center facility as a commercial enterprise; provided that effective January 1, 2020, and thereafter, contracts issued pursuant to this paragraph for the marketing of all uses of the convention center facility may be issued separately from the management, use, operation, or maintenance of the facility;

(8) Tourism research and statistics to:

(A) Measure and analyze tourism trends;

(B) Provide information and research to assist in the development and implementation of state tourism policy; and

(C) Provide tourism information on:

(i) Visitor arrivals, visitor characteristics, and expenditures;

(ii) The number of transient accommodation units available, occupancy rates, and room rates;

(iii) Airline-related data including seat capacity and number of flights;

(iv) The economic, social, and physical impacts of tourism on the State; and

(v) The effects of the marketing programs of the authority on the measures of effectiveness developed pursuant to section 201B-6(b); and

(9) Any and all other activities necessary to carry out the intent of this chapter;

provided that the authority shall periodically submit a report of the contracts and agreements entered into by the authority to the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the president of the senate.

(b) The authority shall be responsible for:

(1) Creating a vision and developing a long-range strategic plan for tourism in Hawaii;

(2) Promoting, marketing, and developing the tourism industry in the State;

(3) Arranging for the conduct of research through contractual services with the University of Hawaii or any agency or other qualified persons concerning social, economic, and environmental aspects of tourism development in the State;

(4) Providing technical or other assistance to agencies and private industry upon request;

(5) Perpetuating the uniqueness of the native Hawaiian culture and community, and their importance to the quality of the visitor experience, by ensuring that:

(A) The Hawaiian culture is accurately portrayed by Hawaii's visitor industry;

(B) Hawaiian language is supported and normalized as both an official language of the State as well as the foundation of the host culture that draws visitors to Hawaii;

(C) Hawaiian cultural practitioners and cultural sites that give value to Hawaii's heritage are supported, nurtured, and engaged in sustaining the visitor industry; and

(D) A native Hawaiian cultural education and training program is provided for the visitor industry workforce having direct contact with visitors; and

(6) Reviewing annually the expenditure of public funds by any visitor industry organization that contracts with the authority to perform tourism promotion, marketing, and development and making recommendations necessary to ensure the effective use of the funds for the development of tourism.

(c) The authority may delegate to staff the responsibility for soliciting, awarding, and executing contracts and for monitoring and facilitating any and all functions developed in accordance with this section.

(d) Where public disclosure of information gathered or developed by the authority may place a business at a competitive disadvantage or may impair or frustrate the authority's ability to either compete as a visitor destination or obtain or utilize information for a legitimate government function, the authority may withhold from public disclosure competitively sensitive information including:

(1) Completed survey forms and questionnaire forms;

(2) Coding sheets; and

(3) Database records of the information. [L 1998, c 156, pt of §2; am L 2000, c 297, §20; am L 2002, c 143, §4 and c 253, §8; am L Sp 2009, c 5, §7; am L 2010, c 102, §4; am L 2014, c 131, §3; am L 2019, c 26, §1]