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Hawaii Is Giving Travelers a Free Hotel Night in Exchange for Volunteering

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by Eben Diskin Nov 19, 2020

Now that Hawaii is open to tourists, it wants to make sure its visitors get a unique experience in the Rainbow State. To encourage travelers to do good for the archipelago during their visits, the state is offering a free night in a hotel in exchange for volunteer work.

The Mālama Hawai‘i (Care for Hawaii) initiative will offer travelers the opportunity to take part in tree planting, ocean reef preservation, beach cleanup, making quilts for the elderly, and a range of other activities. In return, they will be given a free extra night at participating hotels. Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, and Kauai’s Marriott Resort are among the participating hotels.

John Monaha, president and CEO of the visitor and convention bureau, told Travel & Leisure, “Our goal is to attract mindful visitors who will leave Hawai‘i better than when they arrived. By doing so, visitors will experience a deeper connection and a vacation that really becomes more meaningful to them.”

Alaska Airlines is also getting in on the initiative, offering to plant a tree for every flight to Hawaii through the end of the year. The airline estimates around 900 trees will be planted as part of this initiative.

In a statement, Daniel Chun, Alaska Airlines’ director of sales, community, and public relations for Hawaii, said, “As we welcome visitors back to Hawaii, we want to support awareness of mindful travel to the Islands — both in the air and on the ground. Alaska has always taken great pride in being responsible stewards of the places we fly, and we hope our guests take pride in this, too.”

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