STAND. COM. REP. NO. 193

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 992

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism and Government Operations, to which was referred S.B. No. 992 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TOURISM,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require that the management contract for the Hawaii Convention Center be separate from the contract for marketing for all uses of the facility.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority.

Your Committees find that under existing law, the management contract for the Hawaii Convention Center must also include the marketing of the facility. This measure separates the management contract from the marketing contract, the Hawaii Tourism Authority to centralize sales effort for all business relating to meetings, conventions, and incentives. In addition, centralizing the sales effort will improve efficiencies in staffing, marketing, travel and sales technology, and leverage existing destination branding and messaging for the meetings, conventions, and incentives market.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism and Government Operations that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 992 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism and Government Operations,

________________________________ LAURA H. THIELEN, Chair

________________________________ GLENN WAKAI, Chair