Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 274 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require the Hawaii Tourism Authority to establish a registry of groups of Hawaii residents traveling to out-of-state destinations to promote and market Hawaii as a tourist destination, and to allow the authority to enter into agreements with and award grants to these groups when feasible and appropriate.

Your Committee received oral testimony in support of this measure from one individual. The Hawaii Tourism Authority submitted testimony in opposition.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii's residents are often its best ambassadors and that traveling groups, such as hula halau, musicians, sports teams, and business organizations, among others, offer an additional opportunity to carry Hawaii's tourism message to prospective visitors.

Your Committee further finds that development of a tourism registry will encourage our marketing and promotion efforts to work in concert with these ambassadors, and is a creative way to add to the impact of the promotional programs. In addition, the registry is a cost-effective means for the State to increase marketing and promotion for the State, while providing a central contact point for groups traveling to out-of-state destinations.

Your Committee supports this measure as a formal means of assisting traveling groups in promoting Hawaii, assistance that is currently available only on an informal, case-by-case basis. Your Committee has amended this measure to establish a ceiling amount under chapter 103D for contracts and to make technical, nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 274, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 274, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.