HTA Appoints New Director of Tourism Research

Jennifer Chun has been appointed as the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA) agency’s Director of Tourism Research, starting Friday, Dec. 1, 2017.

Jennifer Chun

“Jennifer is one of Hawaiʻi’s top research experts for tourism strategy and has a keen understanding of how gathering and analyzing this data is essential to improving the industry’s future, both in supporting the business models of companies statewide and evaluating the sentiments of the community,” said George D. Szigeti, HTA president and CEO. “We are thrilled to reward Jennifer’s commitment to her area of expertise with this appointment to lead HTA’s research department.”

Chun has been analyzing tourism data for more than 20 years. She joined HTA in 2014 as Tourism Research Manager and prior to that served for a decade as a director at Hospitality Advisors LLC, Hawaiʻi’s leading hotel, tourism and real estate consulting firm. Her background also includes serving as a member of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s Global Hospitality & Leisure Industry Group.

Chun will lead HTA’s Tourism Research Division, which provides strategic analytical information about Hawaiʻi tourism and conducts special research that supports state marketing and product development efforts, planning by industry partners and policy making. HTA’s research publications help empower stakeholders to make informed decisions in support of Hawaiʻi tourism, the state’s leading industry and largest provider of jobs.

Among the reports published by HTA’s Tourism Research Division include the Monthly Visitor Statistics Report, Airline Seat Outlook Report, Annual Visitor Research Report, Visitor Satisfaction and Activities Report, Visitor Plant Inventory, and quarterly timeshare reports. Starting this month, HTA will also begin publishing the monthly Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Report. Two sets of special reports published by HTA earlier this year included two studies evaluating the impact of alternative accommodations in Hawaii, and four studies providing comprehensive findings about the preferences and sentiments of LGBT travelers from key travel source markets for Hawaiʻi.

Chun also serves as chair of the Pacific Asia Travel Association’s Hawaiʻi Chapter, is the 2018 president of Skål International Hawaiʻi and is treasurer of the Travel & Tourism Research Association’s Hawaiʻi Chapter.

A 1988 Kamehameha Schools graduate, Chun earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Asian Studies from Dartmouth College and a Masters of Professional Studies in Destination Hospitality Management from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration.