In a partnership between the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) and the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB), visitors to the Hawaiian Islands can now acquaint themselves with the unwritten rules of cultural etiquette before they travel.
Kuleana means responsibility in the Hawaiian language – the personal and collective commitment to the people of Hawaii and the place they call home. The new Kuleana Campaign includes a series of short videos that cover everything from ocean safety, ocean conservation and culture to land safety, astute renting and pono tourism.
“Many travellers visiting the Hawaiian Islands don’t necessarily understand why we stay on the trail when we hike, why we care about protecting our reefs, and many of the dangers they need to be mindful of,” said Jay Talwar, HVCB’s chief marketing officer. “Rather than scold them, we felt that if our residents shared the ‘whys’ behind appropriate behaviour then most visitors would follow along; in other words, if we don’t show them the trail, how can we expect them to stay on it? That’s what our new Kuleana Campaign aims to do.”
Several airlines including Alaska Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Hawaiian Airlines and Southwest Airlines are already showing these videos to passengers before they arrive in the islands. Some hotels across the state are also showing the “Kuleana” videos in their rooms. HTA and HVCB are working to expand the reach of these videos to more airlines and hotels. The videos have also been translated into Japanese, Chinese and Korean.
In addition, when visitors log in to their Facebook and Instagram accounts, they will see the “Kuleana” videos pop up on their feeds while they’re in Hawaii, thanks to geo-targeting technology.
The Kuleana Campaign is one part of a multi-pronged approach to share the beauty of the culture of Hawaii while educating visitors on how to travel respectfully while visiting.
