The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) is seeking proposals for destination brand marketing services for the Japan major market area. The contract period is 36 months, from January 2027 to December 2029, with a total estimated value of $18,300,**** are due by August 17, 2026, at 2:00 PM HST. Services include strengthening brand awareness, driving travel demand, managing airline partnerships, targeting high-value mindful travelers, increasing visitor spending, promoting cultural events, educating visitors on responsible travel, and maintaining cultural integrity. Electronic submission is required via the HIEPRO system. Key performance indicators include visitor arrivals, visitor expenditures, and average islands visited per person. Offerors must have an office in Japan and a dedicated project manager who is 100% dedicated to the HTA account.
Offers are due at 2:00 p. m. Hawaii Standard Time (HST) on August 17, 2026.
HTA will pay invoices within 30 days upon verification of satisfactory performance.
Award will be made to the responsible offeror whose proposal is determined to be the most advantageous to the state based on evaluation criteria including overall capabilities of firm, brand marketing plan, familiarity with Hawaii brand and product, and cost.
Offerors must demonstrate relevant experience in destination brand marketing services, particularly within the Japan market and the Hawaii tourism industry. They must also have or establish an office in Japan and assign a project manager who is 100% dedicated to the HTA account.
Protests concerning the solicitation or solicitation content must be submitted in writing before the proposal due date.
Proposals may be automatically rejected for reasons including late submissions, non-responsiveness, non-responsibleness (e. g. , lack of Certificate of Vendor Compliance), refusal to abide by general conditions, failure to cooperate, falsification of information, or lobbying efforts.
The total estimated value for the entire contract is $18,300,****.
