Hawaii Tourism Authority chief is stepping down this summer.
HTA president and CEO Chris Tatum will leave by August 31.
He will relocate to Colorado with his family, and is expecting a ‘smooth transition between now and then.
No successor has been announced yet.
Tatum was appointed in November 2018 after a long career with Marriott International.
He began his hospitality industry as a housekeeper at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel 40 years ago.
"I’m happy with what we’ve accomplished. I’m very proud of the HTA team and our refocused plans to develop a balanced strategy for tourism. Now, I’d like to get us through the quarantine and help with the recovery piece and long road back," Tatum told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Tatum’s departure couldn’t have come at a worse time with the state’s largest industry virtually non-existent right now due to the pandemic, and a record-high unemployment rate.
The state unemployment rate surged from about 2% to 22% due mostly to tourism-related job losses.
