03-15-2010, 01:57 PM
Please join your friends and neighboring businesses at the 2nd Destination: Lava general membership planning meeting, scheduled to take place Tuesday evening, March 16, 2010 at 7pm at the Akebono Theater (next door to Luquin's Mexican Restaurant).
AND, please do pass on the word to anyone you think would be interested.
To learn more about Destination: Lava, our goals and objectives, please visit www.destinationlava.wordpress.com or call 345-5607
About Destination: Lava, The Lower Puna Visitor Council
Destination: Lava is a Native Hawaiian-focused visitor industry culture, hospitality, and strategic development bureau in the Big Island's Puna district. The organization is a non-profit corporation established in the State of Hawaii to serve the visitor industry-related needs of Lower Puna.
Comprised of a community-based board of directors, the mission of LPVC is:
To work as a community organization focused on strengthening our economic viability in the Hawaii visitor industry, and to make certain that visitor industry activity taking place within our community engage in, and fully support, true cooperation, economy-building, and direct action supporting Native Hawaiian values, culture, and respect; and to lead the development and implementation of sound Eco-Tourism policy as it relates to the communities within Lower Puna.
We're pleased to report participation in our first development meeting by the following organizations:
1. The Pahoa Village Cafe
2. Luquin's Mexican Food Restaurant
3. Dr. Kevin Baiko
4. Hale Makamae B&B
5. Lava Ocean Adventures
6. Native Hawaiian Lava Adventures
7. Ke Kaneke O Kaimu, Honey Farm
8. Tu'ulei Goo, Kumu 'Olelo Hawai'i
9. Kalapana Village Cafe
10. Kaimu Village Store
11. The Volcano Project
From our first meeting, discussion by attendee's introduced a number of excellent ideas that DL may pursue, including:
* Establishing a DL website promoting key Puna visitor industry activities and businesses targeting inbound tourists;
* Developing, managing, and implementing educational programs for members of the visitor industry, particularly regarding sound Native Hawaiian cultural protocol and standardized tactics to ensure "whole community" support;
* Puna regional "visitor industry policy" development and enforcement;
* Establishing a "bricks & mortar" Destination: Lava Visitor Information Center in Pahoa (that will be a site with "live volunteers/staff," information, rack cards, multimedia presentations, ticket sales, and more;
* The establishment of a web-based Puna Visitor Industry REPORT CARD offering fact-based reviews of travel industry companies engaged in the business of tourism that takes place in Puna;
* The development of a micro-bank established to help offer rotating small loans to capitalize LPVC-supported member business initiatives;
* Two major public "fairs" put on by DL as a visitor industry
* Establishment of a DL committee charged with securing DL membership access to inbound cruise ships and their passengers
* The creation of a DL Family Pass, sold by DL, that includes passage to (or a discounted rate at) DL member destiations/activities/shops/restaurants, available for purchase online, at DL member stores, or at the DL Visitor Center.
* The establishment of a series of DL member videos, promoting area businesses that can be played at retailers, public spaces, on the DL website, onboard inbound cruise ships, etc.
With support from visitor industry entities in Hawai‘i, the LPVC aims to ensure access to visitor industry financial benefit for all interested parties, primarily the native Hawaiians and other "full-time" residents in the Lower Puna district.
With more than 1.4 million visitors traversing the geographical boundaries of Hawai‘i's Puna District annually (with little-to-no direct financial benefit to the majority of small-to-medium businesses in lower Puna), and one of the highest unemployment rates in Hawai‘i, we trust that you'll agree with the aims of the LPVC – and that it is our kuleana to act.
We welcome your mana‘o and input, and invite you to bring your efforts to this grass-roots non-profit organization.
Visit the Destination: Lava website to learn more, and become a member of this important organization.
Join us on Tue evening, 3/16/10 16, 7:00pm at Akebono's, next door to Luquin's Mexican Restaurant.
rjt
AND, please do pass on the word to anyone you think would be interested.
To learn more about Destination: Lava, our goals and objectives, please visit www.destinationlava.wordpress.com or call 345-5607
About Destination: Lava, The Lower Puna Visitor Council
Destination: Lava is a Native Hawaiian-focused visitor industry culture, hospitality, and strategic development bureau in the Big Island's Puna district. The organization is a non-profit corporation established in the State of Hawaii to serve the visitor industry-related needs of Lower Puna.
Comprised of a community-based board of directors, the mission of LPVC is:
To work as a community organization focused on strengthening our economic viability in the Hawaii visitor industry, and to make certain that visitor industry activity taking place within our community engage in, and fully support, true cooperation, economy-building, and direct action supporting Native Hawaiian values, culture, and respect; and to lead the development and implementation of sound Eco-Tourism policy as it relates to the communities within Lower Puna.
We're pleased to report participation in our first development meeting by the following organizations:
1. The Pahoa Village Cafe
2. Luquin's Mexican Food Restaurant
3. Dr. Kevin Baiko
4. Hale Makamae B&B
5. Lava Ocean Adventures
6. Native Hawaiian Lava Adventures
7. Ke Kaneke O Kaimu, Honey Farm
8. Tu'ulei Goo, Kumu 'Olelo Hawai'i
9. Kalapana Village Cafe
10. Kaimu Village Store
11. The Volcano Project
From our first meeting, discussion by attendee's introduced a number of excellent ideas that DL may pursue, including:
* Establishing a DL website promoting key Puna visitor industry activities and businesses targeting inbound tourists;
* Developing, managing, and implementing educational programs for members of the visitor industry, particularly regarding sound Native Hawaiian cultural protocol and standardized tactics to ensure "whole community" support;
* Puna regional "visitor industry policy" development and enforcement;
* Establishing a "bricks & mortar" Destination: Lava Visitor Information Center in Pahoa (that will be a site with "live volunteers/staff," information, rack cards, multimedia presentations, ticket sales, and more;
* The establishment of a web-based Puna Visitor Industry REPORT CARD offering fact-based reviews of travel industry companies engaged in the business of tourism that takes place in Puna;
* The development of a micro-bank established to help offer rotating small loans to capitalize LPVC-supported member business initiatives;
* Two major public "fairs" put on by DL as a visitor industry
* Establishment of a DL committee charged with securing DL membership access to inbound cruise ships and their passengers
* The creation of a DL Family Pass, sold by DL, that includes passage to (or a discounted rate at) DL member destiations/activities/shops/restaurants, available for purchase online, at DL member stores, or at the DL Visitor Center.
* The establishment of a series of DL member videos, promoting area businesses that can be played at retailers, public spaces, on the DL website, onboard inbound cruise ships, etc.
With support from visitor industry entities in Hawai‘i, the LPVC aims to ensure access to visitor industry financial benefit for all interested parties, primarily the native Hawaiians and other "full-time" residents in the Lower Puna district.
With more than 1.4 million visitors traversing the geographical boundaries of Hawai‘i's Puna District annually (with little-to-no direct financial benefit to the majority of small-to-medium businesses in lower Puna), and one of the highest unemployment rates in Hawai‘i, we trust that you'll agree with the aims of the LPVC – and that it is our kuleana to act.
We welcome your mana‘o and input, and invite you to bring your efforts to this grass-roots non-profit organization.
Visit the Destination: Lava website to learn more, and become a member of this important organization.
Join us on Tue evening, 3/16/10 16, 7:00pm at Akebono's, next door to Luquin's Mexican Restaurant.
rjt
rjt