STAND. COM. REP. NO.  121

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   H.B. No. 569

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Tourism & Culture, to which was referred H.B. No. 569 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TOURISM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to enable the public and private sectors, including state and county agencies, to explore ways to revitalize Waikiki in a cooperative and creative manner by establishing a temporary Tourism Economic District Taskforce (Taskforce) to identify and designate one particular district within Waikiki to be the Tourism Economic District.

     The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, and the Hawaii Hotel & Lodging Association testified in support of the intent of this bill.  The Hawaii Tourism Authority and the Waikiki Improvement Association provided comments. 

     Your Committee recognizes the importance of including not only state agencies in the Taskforce, but also private entities as well as the City and County of Honolulu.  It is the intent of your Committee that the various entities work together, through the Taskforce, in a collaborative effort to determine the specific details of the Tourism Economic District.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Tourism & Culture that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 569 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Tourism & Culture,

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair