Hawai‘i’s Next Tourism Story is Not about Beaches, and that is Exactly the Point

Hawai‘i Tourism Oceania and Adventure.com have launched ‘New Wave’, a new campaign highlighting three Hawaiians whose work is focused on environmental protection, community inclusion and a more responsible future for tourism across the islands.

What is the New Wave campaign about?

The ‘New Wave’ campaign moves away from conventional images of Hawai‘i and instead puts people and their community work at the centre of the destination story.

Created through a partnership between Adventure.com and Hawai‘i Tourism Oceania (HTO), the campaign follows three Hawaiians whose work reflects a contemporary perspective on life, culture, environmental stewardship and tourism in the islands.

The featured personalities are paniolo cowgirl Kuʻunahenani ‘Nahe’ Keakealani, waterman and ocean advocate Zane Kekoa Schweitzer, and Chinese-Hawaiian chef and mixologist Peter Hessler.

Rather than simply presenting Hawai‘i through its familiar tourism icons, the campaign seeks to show the destination through people who are actively contributing to their communities and shaping conversations around its future.

Who are the three Hawaiians featured in the campaign?

Each of the three personalities represents a different aspect of contemporary Hawai‘i.

Kuʻunahenani ‘Nahe’ Keakealani is featured for her work protecting native forests. Her story connects environmental stewardship with Hawai‘i’s cultural landscape and the communities working to preserve it.

Zane Kekoa Schweitzer, a waterman and ocean advocate, focuses on nurturing the next generation of ocean advocates. His work brings attention to the relationship between Hawai‘i’s communities and the surrounding marine environment.

Peter Hessler, a Chinese-Hawaiian chef and mixologist, incorporates native ingredients into his culinary work while also creating queer spaces in Honolulu’s Chinatown.

Together, their stories present different perspectives on environmental responsibility, community building, culture, food and inclusion.

Why is Hawai‘i Tourism focusing on people rather than traditional attractions?

HTO is using the campaign to encourage a form of tourism in which visitors engage more thoughtfully with Hawai‘i and its communities.

Jennifer Gaskin, chief marketing officer at The Walshe Group, the agency representing the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority in Australia, said the campaign allows those principles to be communicated through the people putting them into practice rather than simply telling travellers how they should behave.

Through the stories of Nahe, Zane and Peter, the campaign explores the values of people working within Hawai‘i while highlighting the shared responsibility involved in protecting the islands for future generations.

The approach also gives the destination narrative a stronger community focus, placing local people and their work ahead of a conventional collection of tourism imagery.

How will Adventure.com distribute the New Wave campaign?

The campaign will run throughout September and October across a broad range of editorial and digital channels.

Its distribution includes editorial features, made-for-social mini documentaries, newsletter integrations, organic and paid social media and site-wide display.

All campaign content is being produced and hosted by Adventure.com, allowing the publication to incorporate its editorial approach into the partnership.

The campaign is therefore positioned not simply as a conventional destination marketing initiative but as a series of stories centred on individuals and their relationship with the islands.

How was the campaign produced in Hawai‘i?

The Adventure.com team travelled to Hawai‘i to produce the campaign on location.

Managing editor Tayla Gentle and videographer Liam Neal travelled from Maui to O‘ahu, interviewing the featured talent and recording footage in a variety of environments.

The production covered oceans, forests, cattle ranches and Honolulu’s Chinatown, reflecting the different settings connected to the three stories.

Local production support came from Hawaiian producer and filmmaker George Y. Russell and Emily Watters, PR account manager at The Walshe Group.

The on-location production was designed to capture the people and places featured in the campaign within their actual community and environmental settings.

What does HTO want visitors to understand about Hawai‘i?

HTO’s broader objective is to promote a tourism industry that contributes to stronger communities and a more resilient local economy.

The New Wave campaign supports that approach by focusing on people who are directly connected to the environmental, cultural and social issues shaping the islands.

Gaskin said the partnership was intended to maintain an editorial feel rather than operate solely as branded destination content. She also highlighted the personal and distinctive nature of the three stories and their collective contribution to a broader picture of contemporary Hawai‘i.

The campaign consequently frames responsible travel through individual experiences and community perspectives.

Why does Adventure.com see the campaign as an extension of responsible travel?

Adventure.com had already been aware of HTO’s work relating to tourism imbalance and responsible tourism before the partnership began.

Editor-in-chief Oliver Pelling said the New Wave project allowed Adventure.com to help bring HTO’s vision to life by telling stories about people close to both the challenges and opportunities facing Hawai‘i.

He said the publication’s editorial values and philosophy were carried throughout the campaign, with HTO supporting that approach.

This shared emphasis on responsible travel forms an important part of the partnership, linking the campaign’s commercial purpose with Adventure.com’s existing editorial focus.

How is editorial integrity being maintained in the partnership?

Both organisations wanted the campaign to retain an editorial character rather than function purely as branded destination advertising.

Gaskin said there was a shared ambition from the beginning to create work with editorial integrity rather than simply produce branded destination content.

Adventure.com head of partnerships Emily Barlow similarly said the publication applies the same ethical standards to its commercial partnerships as it does to its editorial work.

That approach has shaped the campaign around individual stories, local environments and community perspectives rather than relying exclusively on conventional promotional imagery.

What does New Wave reveal about contemporary Hawai‘i?

The campaign presents Hawai‘i through a generation of people whose work extends beyond the traditional tourism narrative.

From protecting native forests and developing future ocean advocates to using native ingredients and creating inclusive spaces, the three featured stories demonstrate different ways people are contributing to their communities.

The result is a destination narrative focused on people, place, responsibility and cultural identity.

For HTO, the campaign provides another way to communicate its vision for a more thoughtful tourism industry. For Adventure.com, it represents a commercial partnership shaped around its existing editorial interest in responsible travel.

Together, the organisations are using New Wave to explore a contemporary side of Hawai‘i through the people actively helping shape its future.