THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

68

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

REQUESTING A STUDY OF THE FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING COOPERATIVE VENTURES WITH ORGANIZATIONS ON THE U.S. MAINLAND IN PROMOTING HAWAII AND ITS PRODUCTS.

WHEREAS, there are many former kama'aina living outside of Hawaii who are dedicated to spreading the Aloha Spirit and marketing Hawaii's unique culture and natural resources; and

WHEREAS, for example, the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce of Northern California was founded in 1999 as a nonprofit mutual benefit California corporation composed of volunteers and a dedicated board of directors; and

WHEREAS, four years later, the organization now has a newsletter subscription list of close to two thousand individuals and twenty-five businesses and organizations that are paid sponsors in both Hawaii and the San Francisco Bay Area; and

WHEREAS, there is a strong willingness among the members of the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce of Northern California, particularly in the San Francisco Bay area, to help one another and to promote Hawaii, its culture, and products; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce of Northern California is only one such organization on the U.S. mainland with ties to Hawaii and a commitment to promote commerce, community, culture, and education as it relates to Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, since such efforts would benefit the State of Hawaii, the State should develop ways to work with organizations with relationships in Hawaii that bring positive attention to Hawaii; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT), with the assistance of the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA), the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB), and the University of Hawaii (UH), are requested to study the feasibility of establishing cooperative ventures with U.S. mainland-based organizations for the purposes of promoting Hawaii and Hawaii products, including:

(1) Information on U.S. mainland-based organizations with relationships in Hawaii that DBEDT, HTA, HVCB, and UH have worked with in efforts to promote Hawaii and its products, and the results of any cooperative ventures, including an evaluation of specific projects and programs;

(2) Recommendations for further cooperative ventures that would provide the most return on any investment by the State, including recommendations for types of cooperative projects, such as tourism, business, development, events promoting UH sports activities, and others;

(3) Projected budget requirements for any such ventures and how moneys would be expended, i.e., contractual or other; and

(4) Recommendations for implementation of a pilot program with a U.S. mainland-based organization, such as the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce of Northern California, for the purpose of promoting Hawaii, its culture, natural resources, and products; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism is requested to submit a report to the Legislature not later than twenty days prior to the convening of the 2005 Regular Session on its findings and recommendations, including recommendations for implementation of the pilot program; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; the Chair of the Hawaii Tourism Authority; the President of the University of

Hawaii; the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau; and the President of the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce of Northern California.

Report Title:

Feasibility study on cooperative ventures with mainland organizations in promoting Hawaii