State auditor slams Hawaii Tourism Authority’s wasteful spending
The Hawaii Tourism Authority has been rebuked by the Hawaii state auditor for poor oversight and extravagant spending.
The auditor said the agency failed to follow even its own procedures and was wasteful with reimbursements made to AEG, the firm that manages the Hawaii Convention Center.
"They reimbursed AEG for high end hotels, extravagant meals at places like Morimoto’s and Alan Wongs. Things that their contract specifically prohibited. HTA reimbursed AEG over $50,000 for first class air travel," state auditor Leslie Kondo said.
Reimbursements worth millions of dollars were made without receipts and other required documents, the audit found, in what it described as an ‘environment of loose oversight.’
Contracts were awarded or renewed on ‘questionable justifications.’
In its published findings, the auditor said HTA’s ‘deficient procurement and contracting practices undermine accountability and do not ensure best value.’
"This is what happens when no one is watching, or, maybe, no one thinks that they need to be watched. Things have been allowed to snowball, in a sense, to the point that HTA doesn’t have the internal controls to provide proper oversight," Kondo said in a statement.
The audit goes back as far as 2013 and Kondo acknowledged some improvements have since been made.
HTA board member Rick Fried said a major management overhaul has seen improvements, but ‘there could have been better accountability.’
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt