A Brief History of the Hawaii Ecotourism Association

HEA: 10 Years of Advocacy

Roots: 1994

The Hawaii Ecotourism Association was formed as an outcome of the statewide Conference on Ecotourism held in Waikiki in October of 1994.

Founded: 1995

The members of the planning committee for the 1994 ecotourism conference continued their conference planning work by meeting throughout 1995 to form the Hawaii Ecotourism Association.

Incorporated: 1996 

Articles of Incorporation were filed on March 4, 1996.

Tax Exempt Status: 1997

On January 15, 1997, the Internal Revenue Service determined that Hawaii Ecotourism Association was exempt from Federal Income Tax under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code as an organization described in section 501(c)(3).

E Malama: The Ecotourism Manual for Hawaii Published: 1999

In January of 1999, Hawaii Ecotourism Association and Kapiolani Community College's Interpret Hawai'i program launched E Malama, The Ecotourism Manual for Hawai'i. Written by Barbara F. Mills and published by the Hawaii Ecotourism Association, the manual was funded by a grant from the Employers Training Fund of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Workforce Division.

Certification Program: 2001

Under a grant from Hawaii Tourism Authority HEA worked with other activities and niche market organizations in Hawaii to explore creating a certification program. The proposal was called Hawaii Pono.

Ke Ala Moa'e,The Tradewind Trail: 2003
Developed a set of brochures highlighting the windward Oahu communities of Ko'olaupoko and a website for “Ke Ala Moa'e,The Tradewind Trail”. Funded by a grant from the Hawai'i Tourism Authority.

Visitor Sites of Kaneohe Bay: 2008
Completed a visitor guide project with the Kaneohe Business Group.