STAND. COM. REP. NO.138

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 1462

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Tourism, to which was referred S.B. No. 1462 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII TOURISM AUTHORITY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require the Board of Directors of the Hawaii Tourism Authority (Authority) to appoint a sports coordinator to provide management services for all sporting events supported through the Authority.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Authority and the Outrigger Hotels.

Your Committee notes the testimony of the Authority that this measure is not necessary because the Authority is in the process of administratively establishing a position of sports coordinator. However, your Committee is concerned that a change in administration at the Authority might mean that the position could be eliminated unless it were established in law.

Your Committee further notes that there is consensus within the tourism industry that a sports coordinator would help immensely in developing sports related tourism. Your Committee believes that sports events and sports marketing is an important and integral part of tourism, and past experience supports this point. With every athlete that comes to Hawaii to participate in a sporting event comes the athlete's family and the team's fans. The multiplier effect is tremendous. This measure ensures a continuing emphasis on sports, including planning, coordinating, and marketing of sporting events.

Your Committee believes that the Authority should be looking beyond the traditional lure of sun and surf to areas such as sports, health tourism, cultural tourism, convention business, culinary instruction programs, and ecological and conservation education programs, to name a few areas of expansion for tourism.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Tourism that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1462 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

____________________________

DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair