Set on some of the most sacred grounds within all Hawai‘i, The Department of Discovery embarked on a process of:

Ancient Ways – New Discoveries™

" To build a tourism business that paid homage to the lands and the wonderful stories within the land and the people was a huge challenge, this is essentially why we created a new model – a new way of doing tourism "
Andrew Te Whaiti.

INTERPRETIVE APPROACH:

The natural environment setting would be visually compromised by the addition of the now commonplace traditional forms of interpretive signage. The visitor may not be encouraged to interact or connect with the surroundings if they simply move from sign to sign. Reading text while in a natural environment can be regarded as a distraction to the experience of “being there.”

The Department of Discovery undertook perhaps one of the most grounded and real brand development approaches to design a brand that reflects the land and the people. We developed a market research report that identified key motivations, trends and financial forecasts, along with a five-year profit and loss, and a segmented marketing plan.

Each product was carefully designed to ensure that there was no compromise or “watering down.” The result was eight unique products to take to market, each product reflecting Hawaiian knowledge, systems, and values and matched to a market segment.

“The Journey” was developed to inform, educate and entertain its guests. Visitors to “The Journey” leave with more knowledge, understanding, and curiosity about the features of the land and the people. They will have been inspired by their journey through a natural environment where they enjoyed a process of discovery.

The Department of Discovery provided the visitor with an informative introduction to the land, through the delivery of:

Ancient Ways - New Discoveries:™
The Journey

Ancient Ways - New Expressions:™
The Interaction

Ancient Ways - New Experiences:™
The Interactive Activities

Ancient Ways - New Thinking:™
The Education

The interpretation on the land therefore becomes much more intuitive – the visitor will be able to “discover” the features around them and become aware of the connections to the environment.

We helped to create a journey of richness, authenticity, and learning through the sacred lands of Keauhou Kahalu‘u.

Images appear courtesy of Photographer Carl Shaneff