With the world slowly starting to rebound from the COVID-19 crisis, Hawaii Gov. David Ige is leading a delegation that has traveled to Japan with aims of sparking renewed travel interest to the Hawaiian Islands.
“As our state focuses more on destination management over getting more visitors to the islands, we recognize that Japanese visitors are a priority for us because they tend to engage in the community, they’re respectful of the Hawaiian culture and of our environment,” Ige said in a recent news release from his office. “We would like to welcome them back to the islands.”
Ige is accompanied by Mike McCartney, director of the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism; John De Fries, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority; George Kam, chair of the Hawaii Tourism Authority; and Scott Saiki, House speaker.
The governor has time scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida; the minister of Foreign Affairs; the minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry; and travel industry partners to reestablish Hawaiiʻs relationship with Japan, the release said.
The schedule also calls for meetings with Japanese leaders regarding economic development and renewable energy.
The group is expected to close out the trip and return to Honolulu on Friday.
While Ige has been away, Lt. Gov. Josh Green has been serving as acting governor.