With tourism still shut down, head of Hawaii Tourism Authority announces retirement

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - The head of the Hawaii Tourism Authority is leaving the post.

Chris Tatum, the authority’s president and chief executive officer, informed staff and the HTA board on Wednesday that he would be retiring at the end of the August and moving to the mainland.

The announcement comes as Hawaii’s tourism industry is in crisis ― still shut down because of the pandemic and a mandatory quarantine for visitors, and with no clear path to recovery.

Tatum told the Star-Advertiser that he would help reboot tourism, the state’s no. 1 economic driver, and then hand over the reigns to a successor. It’s not yet clear who might replace him.

Tatum was appointed to the role in November 2018 after a 37-year career at Marriott.

This story will be updated.

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