CIRA de CASTILLOTGI Staff Writer LIHU’E—Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) representatives on Kaua’i for a product development workshop Friday told over 50 local festival organizers and nonprofit representatives that the HTA has $3.3 million available for funding niche markets projects community-based
CIRA de CASTILLOTGI Staff Writer
LIHU’E—Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) representatives on Kaua’i for a product
development workshop Friday told over 50 local festival organizers and
nonprofit representatives that the HTA has $3.3 million available for funding
niche markets projects community-based tourism development.
Muriel A.
Anderson, director of tourism programs, said in 1999 Kaua’i product development
projects received $650,000 in HTA funds to market projects like the Mokihana
and Prince Albert Festivals, Savor the Flavors, and Koloa Plantation Days
Celebration.
Gary J. Baldwin, Kaua’i’s HTA representative, said that all
project proposals have new requirements they need to meet.
“We are raising
the bar,” said Baldwin.
“There is a 2:1 matching funds requirement to the
amount of state funds requested and all applications will need to have
financial applications must be prepared with Generally Accepted Accounting
Principles (GAAP).”
Proposals will have to be qualified and quantified with
60 percent of the application review based on organization experience and
fiscal responsibility, he said.
Accountability for HTA funding of projects
is very important said Baldwin. “HTA needs for proposals to have measurable
qualifiers,” he said.
When asked if HTA should conduct environmental
impact statements on its programs, a claim in a recent Sierra Club law suit
filed against HTA, Baldwin said that he could not comment on matters in
litigation but stressed that product development projects are designed to meet
HTA’s goal of visitors expenditures— not arrivals.
Local organizers who
had questions related to grant awards were told HTA has learned from last year
and has put in place a calendar and timetable to expedite the application and
award process.
HTA will begin the product development application process
on Feb. 25 with application deadlines on March 24 and notice of awards by
May.
“It will take about four or five months for the check to get to the
organization after the award notice, so if you have a event that takes place
before October you will have to make some arrangements in your funding,” said
Baldwin.
He noted that many projects are applying for events that will
take place in 2001.
Product development is about creating community
economic development and community based tourism events that will complement
Hawaii’s traditional resort product and let the community define what and how
they want to promote Cultural, Eco, Edu, Health and Wellness, Sports and Techno
tourism that have a impact on HTA goals of growth in visitor expenditures, said
Baldwin.
A community based tourism event, according to HTA, is one that is
primarily for the local community but gives visitors who are truly interested
in learning more about Hawaii a glimpse of local island culture and lifestyle,
and can add to the overall visitor experience.
