The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), the state agency responsible for representing the Hawaiian Islands brand globally, has selected ETM to lead its European marketing and communications activity through 2029. Operating as Hawaiʻi Tourism Europe (HTE), the account will be led from the UK by ETM, with dedicated account management and PR representation in Germany through New Age Marketing, part of ETM.
The new agreement, resulting from a competitive request for proposals (RFP) procurement process, became effective on Monday, 7 September 2026, and runs through the end of 2029. It comes at an important time for Hawaiʻi and its European markets and reflects the priorities of HTA’s newly released 2026-2030 Strategic Plan. The plan establishes a renewed direction for HTA, focusing on creating greater value from tourism beyond visitor volume, by strengthening priority source markets, encouraging longer stays and visitor spending, and ensuring tourism delivers meaningful benefits to Hawaiʻi’s communities. Europe, particularly the UK and Germany, will play an important role in supporting these goals.
HTE will build on the strong foundations already established in the European market, with a particular focus on increasing visitor expenditure, encouraging longer stays and increasing the average number of islands visited. European travellers are particularly well suited to multi-island travel, with 43.7% visiting both Oʻahu and at least one neighbour island in 2025. A key focus will be working with the travel trade to showcase the distinct personalities and experiences of the Hawaiian Islands and encourage travellers to build longer, multi-island itineraries. From Oʻahu’s energy and culture to Maui’s laid-back discovery, the Island of Hawaiʻi’s spirit of exploration and Kauaʻi’s immersive natural beauty, each island offers a different experience and a reason to stay longer and explore more, combining to create multiple holidays in one.
For European travellers making a significant investment in long-haul travel, demonstrating the value of a Hawaiʻi multi-island journey will be increasingly important. HTE will use consumer marketing, PR, strategic partnerships and travel trade engagement to showcase the breadth of experiences available across the islands, encouraging visitors to stay longer, spend more and experience more of Hawaiʻi.
“For our team, Hawaiʻi is not simply a client – it’s a place, a people and a culture that has shaped and moved us. We are wholly committed to representing the islands with the authenticity and cultural sensitivity they deserve. It’s a privilege to continue sharing the aloha spirit across the UK and German markets,” said Amy Thomas, Account Director – Hawai‘i Tourism Europe (ETM).
As part of the new appointment, ETM and New Age Marketing would also like to thank Joanna Cooke for her contribution to the HTE account and welcome Raman Davies as the new PR Manager for HTE in the UK, succeeding Joanna. Raman brings established relationships with UK media and travel trade contacts, alongside a strong understanding of the destination, having worked closely with Joanna and the wider team. Amelia Dipper also joins the team as Social Media & Marketing Executive.
The wider team remains unchanged, with Account Director Amy Thomas continuing to lead the European account, supported by Account Managers Fleur Sainsbury (UK) and Julia Rohrbacher (Germany), and PR Manager Sabrina Hasenbein (Germany).
The team will kick off this new chapter by activating assets from the HTA’s global brand campaign, “Hawaiʻi Stays With You.” Developed by the Hawaiʻi Visitors and Convention Bureau under HTA’s strategic direction, the campaign positions Hawaiʻi not simply as an aspirational destination, but as a place and culture that leaves a lasting impression on travellers long after their trip ends. Hawaiʻi Tourism Europe will draw on the campaign’s digital content, video and photography across its UK and European activity, working closely with the trade to bring the campaign to life and inspire travellers to experience the places, people and culture of Hawaiʻi. These assets will also be available to the travel trade for use in their own marketing, helping more travellers discover the experiences that make Hawaiʻi stay with them long after they return home.
