CNHA WINS MAJOR CONTRACT TO PARTNER WITH HTA, THE COMMUNITY AND INDUSTRY OFFICIALS TO TRANSFORM HAWAI'I’S TOURISM MODEL

Statement Attributable to Kūhiō Lewis, CNHA CEO

KAPOLEI, HAWAIʻI - “Today marks the start of a new beginning. While it has been a long journey, we are ready to hit the ground running and focus on the future of Hawaiʻi, and its people. The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) is extremely honored to be selected by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA) to partner with HTA alongside Hawaiʻi’s communities and visitor industry.

“Kilohana, CNHA’s tourism division, looks forward to working with HTA, industry officials and the community to place Hawaiʻi’s people, culture and ʻāina at the center of how the State stewards these islands as a visitor destination.

“The name Kilohana was selected because it metaphorically represents the excellence in wisdom refined over generations. Our work will directly reflect our kuleana.

“Our kuleana is to bring together decades of expertise rooted in a shared vision for transformation in tourism while ensuring that our traditions and culture are perpetuated, and our community and ʻāina are at the center of all decisions.”

“Tyler Iokepa Gomes was recently appointed to head Kilohana as chief administrator. Gomes will oversee all of CNHA’s destination stewardship initiatives.”