Hawai’i Visitors and Convention Bureau appoint leaders for regenerative tourism model

The Hawaiʻi Visitors and Convention Bureau appointed three new leaders to strengthen the organization as it evolves beyond the traditional destination marketing model.

The Hawaiʻi Visitors and Convention Bureau is a private, nonprofit, regenerative destination leadership enterprise focused on treating Hawaiʻi as a living system to be stewarded rather than a product to be sold.

The bureau is transitioning into a Destination Futures Enterprise, drawing on culture, data intelligence, and global relationships to achieve outcomes that benefit communities, visitors, and the long-term future of the destination.

Jena Zarro joined the Hawaiʻi Visitors and Convention Bureau as managing director of integrated communications on March 1. Mitsue Varley became the director of international business development on April 1, and Matthew Clarkson was appointed senior director of data intelligence on April 16.

As managing director of integrated communications, Zarro leads the development of an organization-wide communication system to ensure clarity, consistency, and alignment across all internal and public-facing messaging. She works closely with the executive team to strengthen how the Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau communicates with members, partners, communities, and global audiences.

“Hawai‘i’s visitor industry is evolving, and clear, coordinated communication is essential to our combined success,” Zarro said. “It plays a critical role in building trust, strengthening partnerships, and advancing a shared vision for Hawaiʻi. I look forward to working across the organization to build upon the Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau’s brand, create alignment, elevate our voice, and support the important work ahead.”

Serving as director of international business development, Varley is advancing the organization’s international division with an emphasis on the Asia market. She connects the Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau teams, global marketing partners, and industry stakeholders while helping shape international strategy and strengthen key relationships to support the Bureau’s broader goal of building a globally relevant model for regenerative destination leadership.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to support the Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau during this important period of growth,” Varley said. “Strengthening international relationships requires trust, clarity, and long-term vision, and I look forward to building a strong foundation for Hawai‘i’s global engagement.”

Named senior director of data intelligence, Clarkson leads the development of the Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau enterprise performance architecture, establishing how the organization defines success, measures impact, and aligns resources to strategic priorities. Clarkson works closely with Phi Nguyen, newly appointed sales analyst at the Bureau, whose strengths in sales data, reporting, and workflow optimization complement Clarkson’s enterprise-level analytics leadership to translate insights into actionable sales strategy.

“I am looking forward to building on the Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau’s analytical foundation to support clear, data-informed decision-making,” Clarkson said. “By aligning how we measure performance with our priorities, we can clearly identify what is working, strengthen accountability, and focus our efforts where they will have the greatest impact.”

For more information, visit the Hawaiʻi Visitors and Convention Bureau website. Visitor information is also available online.