Green Fee subsidy for HMAR Hawaiʻi Marine Stewards program

Fund the HMAR Hawaiʻi Marine Stewards education and training program for the hospitality and tourism industry through the Hawaiʻi Green Fee or another mechanism. Hawaiʻi's protected marine animals (Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles, seabirds, dolphins, and whales) are frequently approached inappropriately, disrespectfully, or illegally by visitors due to a lack of information in the right place at the right time, and these interactions are increasingly captured on video and make national headlines. HMAR (over 10 years of front-line work, more than 90,000 hotline calls, thousands of field incidents and rescues, hundreds of thousands of people reached through outreach) proposes turning hospitality and tourism partners — hotels, resorts, tour companies, and activity providers — into protectors by training front desk staff, concierges, tour guides, and activity providers to educate visitors before they reach the beach. The program is proposed by Hawaiʻi Marine Animal Response (HMAR), and the State of Hawaiʻi is urged to fund it through the Hawaiʻi Green Fee or another mechanism.

The Green Fee-subsidized program would 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 can receive additional valuable program benefits, including:

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

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

Estimated annual budget to support 20 high-volume tourism partners (hotels, resorts, tour companies, and activity providers): $70,000. Estimated annual budget to support 40 high-volume tourism partners: $90,000.