Hawaii Marine Tourism

Project Overview
The Coral Reef Alliance works with local communities, businesses, partner organizations, and resource managers in Hawaii to protect and preserve Hawaii's coral reefs and to support local projects that benefit both reefs and people.

Learn and Explore:

Hotel Reef Stewardship Project
 • Participating Hotels
Engaging Marine Recreation Providers
 • Participating Marine Recreation Providers
How You Can Help

HOTELS

Hawaii Hotel Reef Stewardship Project
Hawaii is home to approximately eighty percent of the coral reefs found in U.S. waters. Nearly one-quarter of its fish species, reef-building corals, and reef invertebrates are endemic. These remarkable ecosystems generate approximately $800 million in gross annual revenue for the state and are considered one of the hospitality sector's greatest assets.

CORAL has launched a statewide initiative that promotes sustainable tourism and environmental reef stewardship within Hawaii's accomodations sector.

Recognizing that many of Hawaii's hotels are already leaders in environmental sustainability, we have developed this project to explore new niches and acknowledge those who engage in efforts beyond the standard water and energy reduction efforts.

What We're Doing
With support from our local partners, CORAL is providing access to materials, tools, strategies, and other resources that hotels can utilize to improve their level of sustainability. We are seeking assistance from hotel managers to better understand the stewardship activities that are currently underway at their hotels and identify opportunities to work together.

Example Activities:
• Reef etiquette signage
• In-room educational materials
• Educational tools for staff to share with guests
• Staff training in reef ecology and outreach strategies
• Supporting hotels' watersports companies in the implementation of the Voluntary Standards for Marine Tourism and working with concierges and activity agencies to provide materials and messages that can be shared with visitors.

Below is a list of hotels that have joined the Hawaii Hotel Reef Stewardship Project:

MARINE RECREATION PROVIDERS

West Hawaii Voluntary Standards

In 2009, CORAL completed a project working with marine recreation industry stakeholders in West Hawaii to develop the West Hawaii Voluntary Standards for Marine Tourism (WHVS). These regional standards are now improving and ensuring environmental performance in SCUBA diving and snorkeling, general boating (including surfing and kayaking), wildlife interactions (including marine mammals, invertebrates, manta raysand sharks), and shoreline activities.

Over thirty marine tourism providers on Hawaii Island have signed on to adopt the standards and have agreed to assist CORAL in evaluating them for their overall effectiveness, attainability, and affordability. CORAL is now working to expand these efforts to other areas of Hawaii.

For more information about the project, to view more details about participating companies, and to download the standards, please visit the West Hawaii Voluntary Standards website.

Below is a list of marine recreation providers that have signed on to adopt the West Hawaii Voluntary Standards:

 HOW YOU CAN HELP – PROVIDE YOUR INPUT

Take this brief survey about your experience diving, snorkeling, kayaking, surfing, and/or wildlife viewing with Hawaii businesses, and help us provide valuable feedback to commercial marine operators.

Please note: Listings on this site do not indicate official endorsement of any company by CORAL. A listing indicates only that 1) the marine recreation company participated in the standards development (Hawaii Island only), adoption, and implementation process, and has agreed to assist in the standards field-testing and evaluation; 2) the hotel or condo has agreed to carry out several stewardship objectives as outlined by CORAL through this project.