MVCB and HTA recently released a grant opportunity known as the 2023 East Maui Tourism Management Pilot Program RFP making fiscal support available to community organizations in order to address tourism impacts occurring at five sites along the Hana Highway; these five sites are: Bamboo forest Kailua, Waikamoi bridge at MM10, Kaihalulu aka Red Sand Beach, Waioka referred to as Venus pools and South Wailua bridge known as Honolewa. This RFP is an outcome of Hana Highway Regulation advocacy.

There is a page titled Industry Engagement at HanaHighwayRegulation.com that outlines our communication exchange with visitor industry leaders since 2017. This highlights our repeated requests for the visitor industry to collaborate with community. This RFP is a result of our advocacy over the years.

Hana Highway Regulation in partnership with Lokahi Pacific as our committed fiscal administrator, applied for a portion of this MVCB / HTA grant funding opportunity to work with the kuleana holders of Kailua and Waikamoi to address impacts occurring on the North East end. Our plan is entitled The Hana Highway Information Project, a two fold proposal which aims to; 1. Create a standardized information platform to establish credible pre-arrival visitor education that nurtures visitor preparedness, and 2. Harnesses generational residents of Kailua and Waikamoi to be stationed in the field to render visitor consultation in order to improve road safety. 

In acknowledgment of the kuleana rendered by our organization over the last seven years, please follow this link to sign the petition of support for Hana Highway Regulation’s proposal that was submitted as a grant application with Maui Visitors & Convention Bureau on May 5th. Grant awards are announced on June 9th!

Lack of competent visitor management by Hawaii’s visitor industry leads to another incident of visitor injury at the bamboo forest in Kailua mile marker 6.5 along the Road to Hana. The most recent reported injury of a child with 1” laceration to his head. The lack of visitor awareness and education continues to incur more injuries of visitors. Aside from multiple visitor injuries and fatalities occurring here annually, this site is most noted for its hazardous driving conditions due to the parking offenses with visitors parking sometimes directly on the highway at Mile Marker 6.5

Data Collection along the Road to Hana

Volunteer Napua Hueu collects traffic and visitor data at Keanae Peninsula. 

Severe Weather along the Road to Hana [7/21/18]

Rain storm conditions along the Road to Hana on 7/21/18. Various commercial carriers were recorded conducting hiking activities despite the hazardous stream and flash flooding conditions.  Carriers exhibited in this video hiking at Bamboo Forest Kailua MM6.5 and Puohokamoa Stream are illegally parking and trespassing on private property in addition to conducting commercial activity within sacred sights. Documentation of offenses to community policy which can be found at HanaHighwayRegulation.com

MAUI VISITORS BUREAU SAFETY SEMINARS

MAUI VISITORS BUREAU HOSTS SAFETY SEMINARS, please see flyers below.

The Hana Highway Regulation will make a presentation of the Road to Hana Code of Conduct at both safety seminars. 11/29/17 Grand Wailea 8a-12p | 12/06/17 Sheraton Kaanapali 8a-12p