The contract will commence in February 2024 and will end on December 31, 2024, with the option to extend as far as December 31, 2028.
HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA) is seeking proposals to procure global support services for brand management and marketing as part of its work to ensure that The Hawaiian Islands brand remains strong and accurately and authentically represents the people, places, and cultures of Hawai‘i throughout the world.
The support services being procured through RFP 24-09 Hawai‘i Tourism Global Support Services for Brand Management & Marketing will support HTA’s comprehensive pre- and post-arrival visitor education and destination management efforts, as well as HTA’s Global Marketing Team throughout the U.S., Canada, Japan, Oceania, Korea, China, and Europe.
The support services will include providing market insights, management and development of creative and digital assets, social media, website management, including GoHawaii.com, and application development and maintenance. The resources are also shared broadly with the public for the community, visitor industry, businesses, media, travel trade, and meetings, conventions and incentives industry representatives to utilize in their respective areas.
The contractor’s work will be guided by HTA, its 2020-2025 Strategic Plan, the community-based Destination Management Action Plans, and the HTA Board of Directors.
The support services include the following areas:
Market Insights
- Analyze, synthesize, and interpret findings based on research provided by the State of Hawai‘i Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT), HTA, and others.
- Collaborate with HTA and its contractors to enhance the organization’s ability to develop and execute a fully integrated brand management and marketing approach.
Airline Route Development
- Build and leverage relationships with the air carriers (route development, marketing, and operations teams).
- Assist HTA in maintaining and/or developing new air service to Hawaiʻi, especially from emerging markets.
Websites and App Development and Maintenance
- Ensure ease and best functionality of HTA’s destination websites, including GoHawaii.com and the GoHawai‘i App, via optimization and upgrades, as well as the development and management of databases to connect visitors with community organizations and projects throughout Hawaiʻi.
- Manage, maintain, and update the GoHawai‘i website and GoHawai‘i app so that they are relevant and accessible to all markets and languages, including ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, English, Spanish (Mexico and Spain), French (France and Canada), German (Germany), Korean (South Korea), Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), and Japanese (Japan).
- Manage, maintain, and develop the Media.GoHawaii.com website for media.
- Develop the SharingAloha.com website to be relevant and accessible to Hawaiʻi residents.
- Provide monthly analytics with assumptions and strategies to increase interaction and engagement.
Social Media
- Ensure brand consistency across HTA’s contractors and provide support and resources to enhance HTA’s overall social media presence and engagement.
- Coordinate content management and distribution, real-time monitoring, and collaboration across markets on Sprout and Podio.
Tools, Resources, and Other Services
- Manage, maintain, and develop creative as well as digital assets for HTA’s Knowledge Bank, a vetted online library of videos and photos to market the Hawaiian Islands appropriately as a visitor destination.
- Manage and maintain other digital tools and resources as necessary.
Interested applicants are encouraged to participate in HTA’s pre-proposal conference via Zoom to be briefed on the procurement process and to ask questions. The pre-proposal conference will be held at 9 a.m. HST on December 15, 2023. Proposals are due to HTA by 2 p.m. on January 8, 2024.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
