David Y. Ige

Sustainability Remains a Focus of This Year’s Conference
Presented by the Hawaii Tourism Authority

HONOLULU – Early-bird registration offering flexible discounted rates is now available for the 2018 Global Tourism Summit, being presented by the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA), Oct. 1-3.

Participants can register via the dedicated website, www.globaltourismsummithawaii.com, and choose from one of several options to attend the conference being held at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu.

This year’s summit keeps the focus on sustainability as a fundamental theme and how it is incorporated in the future of tourism will be a featured topic of the various sessions and keynotes. The significance of Hawaiian culture, global marketing, technology and innovation will also be highlighted in presentations and panel discussions, with the collective focus on improving tourism in Hawaii and abroad.

George D. Szigeti, HTA president and CEO, said, “HTA is excited to present a powerful and relevant Global Tourism Summit again this year with the primary objective of building collaboration and dialogue on challenges and opportunities the Hawaiian Islands, and destinations around the globe, face in managing tourism responsibly into the future. With tourism stakeholders encompassing many different industries from accommodations, airlines, activities and attractions, to retail, restaurants, media and the general business community at large, anyone interested in seeing this global industry succeed will benefit from attending the summit and sharing their insights.”

Early-bird registration is available through July 31 for the following discounted rates:

• Individuals: Full Summit Registration, Oct.1-3: $325, a savings of $100 ($425 after July 31)
• Group Package (Min. of 8 people): Full Summit Registration, Oct. 1-3: $325 per person, a savings of $100 per individual. (Mix and match different attendees during the conference)
• Student and Faculty Members: Full Summit Registration, Oct. 1-3: $150
• Student: 1 Day Summit Registration, $50 (Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday)
• Individuals: 2 Day Summit Registration, Oct. 1-2: $315
• Individuals: 2 Day Summit Registration, Oct. 2-3: $295

“The variety of registration options offers flexibility and provides interested attendees, especially those from Hawaii, several ways to participate in the summit based on their work schedule,” said Szigeti.

The Global Tourism Summit will feature powerful keynote addresses from industry leaders, including Stephen England-Hall, chief executive of Tourism New Zealand, Chris Malone, managing partner of Fidelum Partners on the topic of “The HUMAN Brand,” and Mike Dominguez, senior vice president and chief sales officer for MGM Resorts International.

Information on sessions, programs and speakers are available on the dedicated website, in addition to sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities. The summit schedule will continue to be updated as additional sessions and speakers are confirmed.

Formerly known as the Hawaii Tourism Conference, HTA changed the name to the Global Tourism Summit last year to more accurately reflect Hawaii’s emergence as a leader in international travel and tourism.

About the Hawaii Tourism Authority
The Hawaii Tourism Authority is responsible for strategically managing the State of Hawaii’s marketing initiatives to support tourism. HTA’s goal is to optimize tourism’s benefits for Hawaii, while being attentive to the interests of travelers, the community and visitor industry. Established in 1998 to support Hawaii’s leading industry and largest employer, HTA continually strives to help ensure the sustainability of tourism’s success.

For more information about HTA, please visit www.hawaiitourismauthority.org. Follow updates about HTA on Facebook, Twitter (@HawaiiHTA) and its YouTube Channel.

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Charlene Chan
Director of Communications
Hawaii Tourism Authority
808-973-2272 (o)
808-781-7733 (m)
[email protected]

Erin Kinoshita
Director of Account Service – Travel and Tourism
Anthology Marketing Group
(808) 539-3428 (o)
(808) 349-3746 (m)
[email protected]