Fund HMAR Hawaiʻi Marine Stewards program via Green Fee

Subsidize the Hawaiʻi Marine Animal Response (HMAR) Hawaiʻi Marine Stewards education and training program for the hospitality and tourism industry through the Hawaiʻi Green Fee or another funding mechanism. The program equips hotels, resorts, tour companies, and activity providers to educate visitors about Hawaiʻi's protected marine animals (Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles, seabirds, dolphins, and whales) before they reach the beach, addressing the recurring problem of inappropriate, disrespectful, or illegal visitor interactions caused by a lack of information in the right place at the right time. HMAR cites over 10 years of front-line work, more than 90,000 hotline calls answered, thousands of field incidents and rescues handled, and outreach to hundreds of thousands of people.

The Green Fee-subsidized Hawaiʻi Marine Stewards program will provide the following resources, tools, and benefits to participating hospitality and tourism partners:

HMAR subject matter experts will present to guests and customers at tourism partner locations. These expert-led presentations will cover the natural history, behavior, and cultural and ecosystem importance of Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles, seabirds, dolphins, and whales, as well as how to legally, respectfully, and safely enjoy these iconic marine protected animals.
HMAR-led annual training for tourism partners’ employees on regulations, interaction guidelines, natural history, and other topics related to marine protected animals. This training provides tourism partners’ employees with the information they need to share with guests and customers.
A 5-minute educational video outlining safe, respectful, and legal ways to enjoy marine protected animals. The video can be played in tourism partner lobbies, on in-room TV systems, on tour buses, and in other partner locations. It will be available with English, Japanese, and Korean subtitles.
Hawaiʻi Marine Stewards' collateral materials provide information on appropriate and legal ways to enjoy marine protected animals. Collateral materials can include handout flyers, table tent cards, content for in-room publications, and posters. Artwork for these materials will be available in English, Japanese, and Korean.
Listing on the HMAR Hawaiʻi Marine Stewards website with a link to the tourism partner's preferred URL. This provides Hawaiʻi Marine Stewards partners with valuable recognition and public exposure to the hundreds of thousands of people who visit the HMAR website each year.

For a modest annual fee (paid by hospitality and tourism partners), program participants receive additional valuable benefits, including:

Co-branding of the Hawaiʻi Marine Stewards educational video and collateral materials with the partner's name and logo.
Increased frequency of partner employee training to address new employee hires and attrition.
Increased frequency of HMAR-led presentations to partner’s guests and customers.
HMAR curated and staffed in-field experiences for tourism partner guests and customers to observe Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles, or seabirds.
Use the Hawaiʻi Marine Stewards logo.
A partner employee recognition program.
Social media and press release recognition for partner participation in the Hawaiʻi Marine Stewards program.

The program's stated objectives: 1) it enhances the visitor experience, 2) it reinforces Hawaiʻi’s mission of sustainable and regenerative tourism, 3) it strengthens our resident population's perceptions of the visitor industry and of visitors, and 4) it helps protect and preserve Hawaiʻi’s beloved marine protected animals.

The estimated budget to support 20 high-volume tourism partners per year is $70,000. The estimated budget to support 40 high-volume tourism partners is $90,000.