|
These bills are in complete alignment with Hawaii County's Destination Management Action Plan (DMAP)2021-2025,
<br /> which was completed with community,government and industry stakeholder involvement in partnership with the Hawaii
<br /> Tourism Authority(HTA), the Island of Hawaii Visitors Bureau(IHVB)and County of Hawaii Department of Research
<br /> and Development. Efforts are currently underway at the Hawaii State Legislature to codify the DMAPs into Hawaii state
<br /> law. Better management of TARS was identified in the top 10 needs for Hawaii Island and can be found here -HTA
<br /> Hawaii Island Action Plan(hawaiitourismauthori . .or .
<br /> As a board member for the Hawaii Island Safety and Security Professionals Association (HISSPA),I am grateful that this
<br /> suite of bills helps to address visitor safety. As a member of the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce's Government
<br /> Affairs and Economic Development Committees, and the Vibrant Hawaii Housing Coalition, I appreciate that these bills
<br /> provide measures to address our housing crisis. And as a former Executive Director of the Visitor Aloha Society of
<br /> Hawaii, Hawaii Island(VASH)I am grateful that these bills will ensure that accommodations offered online are safe,
<br /> secure, and actually exist, as I had to find alternate accommodations for multiple visitors during my tenure who were the
<br /> victims of bait-and-switch scams online.
<br /> Finally, I'm attaching a report from www.AlltheRooms.com as an addendum to our written testimony. It shows that there
<br /> were more than 19,000 units on Hawaii Island advertised through Airbnb,VRBO, HomeAway and similar websites
<br /> during the last year. Those units range from studios,to a single bedroom in someone's home,to entire homes with up to
<br /> 12 bedrooms. If the average unit had just 2 bedrooms,that would mean more than 38,000 rooms were advertised on our
<br /> island last year. In comparison,the hotels along the Kohala Coast of Hawaii Island(Mauna Kea Beach Hotel,Westin
<br /> Hapuna, Waikoloa Beach Marriott, Hilton Waikoloa,Auberge Mauna Lam, Fairmont Orchid, and Four Seasons Hualalai)
<br /> have a combined total of 2,915 hotel rooms.
<br /> The Kohala Coast Resort Association is a collection of master-planned resorts, situated north of the Ellison Onizuka Kona
<br /> International Airport at Keahole. KCRA members employ more than 5,000 Hawaii Island residents, supporting 20,000
<br /> family members,at our hotels,timeshares,golf courses,restaurants, shopping centers and spas. The members of the KCRA
<br /> annually pay more than $40 million in TAT and $40 million in GET to the State of Hawaii and the County of Hawaii.
<br /> KCRA's members, as well as the businesses and residents within the resorts along the Kohala Coast,paid more than $135
<br /> million in property taxes to Hawaii County in 2022, accounting for one-third of all property taxes collected island wide,
<br /> according to Hawaii County's Real Property Tax office.
<br /> Thank you for your consideration of our comments and suggested amendments to Bill 121. We encourage your support of
<br /> Bills 121, 122, and 123 to better manage TARS across Hawaii Island.
<br /> Sincerely,
<br /> - P
<br /> Stephanie Donoho
<br /> Administrative Director, Kohala Coast Resort Association
<br /> Craig Anderson,VP Operations,Mauna Kea Resort—President
<br /> Pat Fitzgerald, CEO,Hualalai Investors—Vice President
<br /> Charlie Parker, General Manager, Four Seasons Hualalai— Secretary
<br /> Charles Head, General Manager, Fairmont Orchid—Treasurer
<br /> Mike Hoover, Director, Kona Villag Operations—Board of Directors
<br /> Daniel Scott,Managing Director Rosewood Kona Village— Board of Directors
<br /> Scott Head,VP Resort Operations, Waikoloa Land Company—Board of Directors
<br /> David Givens, General Manager, Hilton Waikoloa Village— Board of Directors
<br /> Rob Gunthner, Area VP Resort Operations, Hilton Grand Vacations —Board of Directors
<br /> Pete Alles,Regional VP and GM,Mauna Lam, Auberge Resorts Collection—Board of Directors
<br /> Steve Yannarell, General Manager, Waikoloa Beach Marriott—Board of Directors
<br /> PO Box 6991, Kamuela, HI 96743*(808) 747-5762*kohalacoastresortassn(&-gmail.com*www.kohalacoastresorts.com
<br />
|