WHEREAS, it is the mission of the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT) to stimulate economic development efforts, attract new industry and investment to the state, and ensure long-term stability for Hawaii's economy by promoting Hawaii's products and services and attracting business and investment; and

WHEREAS, one of the industries that DBEDT oversees is the tourism industry; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) is an agency that is administratively attached to DBEDT and is primarily responsible for developing, coordinating, and implementing state policies for tourism and related industries; and

WHEREAS, it is the function of HTA to not only support and promote the tourist industry, but to protect the environment and the long-term well-being of Hawaii residents; and

WHEREAS, according to DBEDT, it is the role of HTA to "support the development and promotion of alternative and diversified events and attractions for leisure and business travelers that complement Hawaii's traditional resort projects, enhance brand identity, assist in overall economic diversification and provide high quality visitor experiences while sustaining Hawaii's natural and cultural resources, community values and resident quality of life..."; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature, while recognizing the importance of tourism to the economy, also understands that Hawaii must continue to move in the direction of self reliance and sustainability in all areas of its economy and society; and

WHEREAS, the tourism industry cannot itself solve problems such as the growing cost of food, fuel, and housing, the shortage of high-paying jobs, and the growing threats to Hawaii’s environment and natural resources; and

WHEREAS, DBEDT's "Annual Report" is meant to give policy makers and the public a synopsis of the progress agencies such as HTA are making in terms of meeting the goals set forth by DBEDT; and

WHEREAS, however, the "Annual Report" focuses mainly on the well-being of the tourism industry and fails to make clear whether HTA is moving in a positive direction in terms of its goals of:

(1) Creating a self-reliant Hawaii;

(2) Diversifying the economy; and

(3) Improving the quality of life for Hawaii's residents;

and

WHEREAS, because funds expended by HTA come from state taxpayers, lawmakers have an obligation to ensure that monies expended by HTA are being used to meet all of its stated goals; and

WHEREAS, to provide a complete and thorough picture of the progress of HTA in meeting its stated goals, a more in-depth economic analysis should be done by an autonomous entity outside of DBEDT; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Economics at the University of Hawaii possesses the knowledge and skills that are necessary to conduct an econometric study of HTA’s expenditures in terms of meeting all of its goals; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, that the University of Hawaii Department of Economics is requested to conduct an econometric analysis of the effectiveness of monies spent by HTA in achieving the stated goals of HTA, including:

and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of DBEDT, the Executive Director of HTA, and the Chairperson of the Department of Economics at the University of Hawaii.

Report Title:

Requesting the University of Hawaii Department of Economics to conduct an econometric analysis of the effectiveness of monies spent by HTA in achieving its stated goals.