Give a little bit back while travelling

Through the Mālama Hawai’i program, the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority is all about providing ways clients can give back while on vacation. 

“Mālama is one of the foundational Hawaiian values we grow up with here in the Hawaiian Islands. It means to protect, to steward, and to care for, which for us at the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority means caring for our beloved home,” Ilihia Gionson, public affairs officer for Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, tells Travel Courier. “We believe that travellers want to do the right thing when they visit and it is our role to inform them about the various ways they can travel with intention, mindfully caring for our people, natural resources and communities through the choices they make.”

Along with taking in scenic views and attractions, the program offers ways for travellers to make a difference in the communities they visit by planting native trees, restoring Hawaiian fishponds, or clearing invasive plants.

“Through our Mālama Hawai‘i program, there are many ways that visitors can have a more meaningful vacation by working alongside members of the community whose mission is to steward our natural and cultural resources,” Gionson says. “Beyond volunteering, we also encourage visitors to hike only on marked trails, view protected marine life from afar, engage in multi-cultural experiences and events, learn from cultural practitioners, and support local shops, restaurants, and farmers’ markets throughout the state.”

HTA launched the Mālama Hawai‘i program in the midst of the pandemic as a means to further develop its responsible travel initiatives supporting the destination’s natural resources and local communities.

“Mālama Hawai‘i continues to evolve beyond the act of volunteering, extending to other tangible ways for visitors to care for our people and places, including shopping for Hawai‘i-made goods and supporting local businesses,” he notes. “Following the August 2023 wildfires on Maui, we added another layer to our mission — Mālama Maui — encouraging mindful visitors to return as a means to support Maui in its long road to recovery.”

For example during a recent FAM trip, Travel Courier spent the morning volunteering at the Maui Distribution Centre Centre to sort through donations. Residents can come to the centre to pick up needed household items ranging from cleaning supplies and personal hygiene packs to pet food. 

“Our Hawai‘i Tourism Canada team based in-market is working to rebuild meaningful travel demand among Canadians with enhanced Mālama Maui marketing efforts to support the island’s recovery,” he notes. “Misinformation was prevalent around the world following the wildfires, so our Canada team made it a priority to educate the travel trade and media to ensure they were sharing the correct message with their clients and audience to inspire Canadians to visit in a mindful way. Through consumer, public relations, and travel trade efforts, HTCAN has spent the last seven months promoting responsible travel to the Valley Isle and highlighting the importance of visiting with aloha, compassion, and empathy, supporting local businesses, and caring for Maui by volunteering and giving back.”

For more on Mālama Hawai’i visit: www.gohawaii.com/malama. For opportunities for visitors to give back in Maui visit: www.mauinuistrong.info.”

Mālama Hawai’i opportunities in Maui 

• Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge offers hands-on learning opportunities and meaningful outdoor experiences in a unique wetland environment teeming with birds, insects, and plants. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s mission is to work with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats. www.fws.gov/refuge/kealia-pond/get-involved 
• Kaʻehu is a nonprofit organization with the goal to restore the land and perpetuate traditional Hawaiian culture using a community-based, inclusive, family-oriented approach to environmental stewardship and sustainable agriculture. That relationship between people and place grows stronger every time you mālama (give back). When you give back to the land, the ocean, the wildlife, the forest, the fishpond, the community, you’re part of a virtuous circle that enriches everything and everyone, including your experience as a visitor.  www.kaehu.org 
• Leilani Farm Sanctuary offers a tour of this idyllic farm sanctuary, home to a myriad of farm animals including bunnies, a donkey, goats, a pig, tortoise, kitties, chickens and even a friendly deer. After the tour, visitors can lend a hand on this vegan farm to help rescued animals. leilanifarmsanctuary.org/volunteer/