Hawaii – Four Seasons Resort Maui is launching an adventure offering for kids and teenagers that celebrates the natural wonders of Hawaii. Camp Manitou invites kids aged 9–17 to explore their surroundings, immerse themselves in Hawaiian culture and study the environment through storytelling.
Camp Manitou will also focus on Hawaiian perspectives. Navigator Kala Baybayan Tanaka will educate the children, and accompanying adults, on Polynesian wayfinding practices and how Indigenous people have been using the wind, ocean currents and stars for millennia to sail around the Pacific Ocean. This is an important change in how luxury resorts have traditionally used Hawaiian culture for PR and marketing – to attract Western tourists by exoticising Indigenous beliefs and traditions.
Hawaii has become a big focal point in discussions about environmental conservation by activists and Indigenous communities, and tourists are being dissuaded from visiting the islands. Luxury resorts have come under fire for exploiting natural resources and appropriating the local culture for profit. This ties in to our report on five future voices of community-first travel that prioritise human connection and conscious luxury travelling.
Strategic opportunity
Investing in developing a harmonious and authentic relationship between brands, guests and nature is essential for the industry to attract a growing segment of conscious consumers
