Aaron Salā, Ph.D.
President & CEO, Hawai'i Visitors & Convention Bureau
Aaron J. Salā, Ph.D., is a visionary advocate for regenerative tourism deeply informed by Pacific ancestral wisdom and modern innovation. As President and CEO of the Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB), Aaron leads efforts in regenerative tourism, cultural stewardship, and strategic community engagement, transforming Hawai‘i’s visitor industry into a global example of sustainable economic growth and cultural integrity.
With over 20 years of experience, Aaron previously served as Chair of the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, Director of Cultural Affairs at the Royal Hawaiian Center, and Faculty Specialist at the University of Hawai‘i-West O‘ahu. He founded Gravitas Pasifika, LLC and its nonprofit partner, The Foundation for an Engaged Pacific (501c3), to empower Pacific Islander communities through cultural narrative sovereignty, economic resilience, and collaborative partnerships.
Aaron served as Festival Director for Hawaiʻi’s hosting of the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture, the largest global event celebrating Pacific Islander heritage. His work consistently integrates ancestral values with contemporary approaches, and he is recognized for his innovative strategies in cultural leadership and immersive media.
Holding a PhD in Ethnomusicology from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Aaron’s research focuses on the role of Hawaiian music in shaping cultural identity. He remains committed to fostering a regenerative and culturally empowered future, ensuring meaningful community resilience and sustainable impact.
About the Session
The Island Tells Itself: Tourism as Story, Story as Stewardship
Tourism, when practiced regeneratively, is not about selling a destination but about telling it—about living it. Every shoreline, every bird in flight, every ancestor’s name spoken into the wind is part of a story that is continually unfolding. To tell the island is to steward it, and to steward the land is to invite both residents and visitors into shared responsibility.
In this keynote, Dr. Aaron J. Salā, President and CEO of the Hawaiʻi Visitors and Convention Bureau, explores how storytelling serves as the continuum through which regenerative tourism takes root. Drawing on Hawaiʻi’s evolving approach and Port Aransas’ own journey, he will reflect on:
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Legacy as Narrative Arc, moving from extractive pasts to regenerative futures
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Ecology as Living Story, the daily chapters written by sea turtles, shorebirds, and estuaries
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Culture as Ancestral Voice, history and heritage as obligations carried forward
Together, these threads illuminate a simple truth: regenerative tourism requires not just management but moʻolelo (story) as methodology. When we let the island tell itself, we transform tourism into a practice of stewardship, ensuring that both community and visitor belong to the story, and to the future, of place.