Hawaii Tourism Authority together with the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau has begun Hawaii Kuleana. The word kuleana is defined as “our responsibility.” It’s a first Ecoculture Hawaii campaign designed to help Hawaii visitors understand the culture of Hawaii and educate them on respectful travel practices when visiting the islands.
Kuleana represents uniquely Hawaiian values and practices. It refers to the relationship between the person who is responsible and that for which they are responsible. It is said that Hawaiians’ kuleana is to respect and care for the land, and that the land has the kuleana to care for its people, in balance with nature and society. Our sense is that kuleana extends to all of us here in Hawaii whether residents or visitors.
Watch the Kauai YouTube video below.
It takes place at the Menehune Fish Pond. You can help there, in their effort eliminating invasive red mangrove from the Huleia River on Kauai. Find out more about volunteering and/or contributions via their website. Just a side-note, the videos may not include all the information you’ll need in order to help. That’s your kuleana.
The campaign currently includes short, under 1-minute videos focused on challenges facing each of the islands. Separate videos were created for Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Hawaii Island counties. Various topics are ocean and land safety and conservation, cultures, how not to get ripped off, and good or “pono” tourism practices.
“Many travelers visiting the Hawaiian Islands don’t necessarily understand why we stay on the trail when we hike, why we care about protecting our reefs, and many of the dangers they need to be mindful of. Rather than scold them, we felt that if our residents shared the ‘whys’ behind appropriate behavior then most visitors would follow along; in other words, if we don’t show them the trail, how can we expect them to stay on it? That’s what our new Kuleana Campaign aims to do.” — Jay Talwar, HVCB.
The videos that feature 15 Hawaii residents include a diverse range of concerns including choosing lifeguard protected beaches, ocean condition awareness, risk to our coral reefs from sunscreen, and legal vacation rental practices.
You’ll see this campaign on flights to Hawaii and in hotels.
Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Southwest Airlines are now showing these videos prior to arrival on all flights to Hawaii, so expect to see these videos soon. Hotels are being added too so that guests can watch the videos in their rooms. Videos will also be available in Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
Also watch for these new videos to appear on Facebook.
What do you think of the videos and this new campaign.
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