Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau appoints Maui island director

The Hawaiʻi Visitors and Convention Bureau has appointed veteran hospitality executive Brent Lausterer as director of sales for the Maui Visitors and Convention Bureau, a move that underscores the organization’s effort to strengthen island-specific tourism leadership following a period of significant change for Hawaiʻi’s visitor industry.

New leadership for Maui’s visitor market

According to publicly available information from the Hawaiʻi Visitors and Convention Bureau, Lausterer assumed the role of director of sales for the Maui Visitors and Convention Bureau in early June 2025. The position oversees group and leisure sales across Maui, as well as the neighboring islands of Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi, which are marketed together as a single region within the statewide bureau structure.

The appointment places Lausterer at the center of efforts to support tourism recovery and resilience on Maui, where travel patterns have shifted in recent years in response to global travel disruptions and local community concerns. Industry materials describe the director-level role as instrumental in coordinating with hotels, activity providers, destination management companies, and other partners to shape how group and independent travelers experience the island.

Reports indicate that Lausterer brings more than two decades of experience in Hawaiʻi’s visitor industry, including senior sales positions at major resort brands and a recent tenure with Prince Resorts Hawaiʻi. His familiarity with both Maui and the broader statewide market is seen as an asset for connecting island priorities with national and international travel trade networks.

Travel sector observers note that the new appointment arrives at a time when Maui is reassessing its visitor mix and encouraging longer stays with higher per-visitor spending, while also emphasizing responsible and community-minded travel.

Island directors central to HVCB’s chapter model

The Hawaiʻi Visitors and Convention Bureau operates a chapter-based system in which each major island or county has its own visitors bureau working under the statewide umbrella. Public documents outline this structure for Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Maui County, and the island of Hawaiʻi, with each chapter led by executives who adapt statewide strategies to local conditions.

Within this model, island directors and senior sales leaders function as primary coordinators for their markets. They engage with local government tourism offices, visitor industry associations, and community stakeholders while aligning with broader branding and marketing campaigns. Their responsibilities typically span domestic and international travel trade, meetings and conventions, and digital and media outreach tailored to each island’s identity.

Recent staffing lists for the island of Hawaiʻi Visitors Bureau, for example, detail positions such as executive director, director of leisure sales, and director of marketing, highlighting how each island maintains a dedicated team with specialized functions. Comparable structures are in place on Kauaʻi and Oʻahu, where executive and director-level roles manage public relations, sales, and destination marketing efforts.

Industry analysts point out that these island-focused leadership posts have become increasingly important as Hawaiʻi’s tourism agencies respond to calls for more localized planning, data-driven decision-making, and stronger alignment with community values.

Balancing recovery, community priorities, and brand stewardship

The latest appointment on Maui fits within a broader evolution in Hawaiʻi’s tourism management, in which visitor bureaus are asked to both support economic vitality and help address the impacts of high visitor volumes on local communities and resources. Publicly available planning documents emphasize that island chapters are expected to integrate county tourism strategies, cultural protocols, and destination stewardship initiatives into their marketing approach.

For Maui, that means matching group and leisure sales strategies with efforts to disperse visitation, highlight lesser-known experiences where appropriate, and encourage behavior that respects natural and cultural sites. Destination managers say that post-pandemic recovery trends, combined with changing visitor expectations, have created an opportunity to promote more meaningful engagement with local culture, food, and outdoor activities, rather than focusing solely on volume.

The director of sales role is positioned to help shape these outcomes through the types of clients and events it targets, as well as through the messaging shared with tour operators, meeting planners, and travel advisors. Travel industry briefings note growing interest in programs that incorporate cultural education, hands-on conservation activities, and partnerships with local businesses, especially in group itineraries.

Across the state, the Hawaiʻi Visitors and Convention Bureau and its island chapters continue to reference stewardship toolkits and cultural guidance materials intended to support more accurate and respectful representations of Hawaiʻi in travel marketing. Island directors and their teams typically play a key role in ensuring these frameworks are reflected in campaigns and sales outreach.

Experience and local roots shape Maui appointment

Background information supplied by the bureau indicates that Lausterer is a Maui native who graduated from Baldwin High School in Wailuku before pursuing higher education in Honolulu. He later completed a Master of Business Administration with an international focus and obtained a Certified Meeting Professional designation, a widely recognized credential in the meetings and events sector.

Over the course of his career, Lausterer has held senior sales and marketing roles with several well-known resort properties across the Hawaiian Islands. Publicly circulated biographies highlight his experience working at major brand hotels on Maui, Kauaʻi, and Oʻahu, building familiarity with different island markets and their respective group and leisure segments.

He has also spent time cultivating relationships with travel advisors and meeting planners in key source markets, including North America and Japan. The bureau notes that he is proficient in Japanese, a skill gained partly through participation in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, which has helped strengthen his ability to engage with Japan-based partners in a language and cultural context that is important to Hawaiʻi’s tourism mix.

Industry watchers suggest that this combination of local upbringing, statewide experience, and international orientation aligns with the bureau’s current push to refine island positioning and diversify visitor segments, particularly as Hawaiʻi competes with other Pacific and global destinations.

Implications for Maui’s meetings and group travel business

Lausterer’s role as director of sales is expected to have particular significance for the meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions segment, commonly known as MICE, which is a crucial part of Maui’s visitor economy. Group events often generate higher per-capita spending and can be scheduled during shoulder seasons, helping smooth out peaks in leisure travel.

Trade coverage notes that the Maui Visitors and Convention Bureau has traditionally promoted the island as a destination where business events can be combined with outdoor recreation, cultural experiences, and post-event leisure stays on neighboring islands such as Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi. As director of sales, Lausterer will be closely involved in articulating that value proposition to meeting planners and corporate decision-makers.

Observers indicate that the broader tourism environment remains competitive, with destinations across North America and the Asia-Pacific region seeking to capture returning group business. Maui’s success in this arena will likely depend on its ability to differentiate itself through a mix of natural beauty, cultural authenticity, and demonstrable commitments to sustainability and community benefit.

Within that context, the latest leadership appointment at the Maui Visitors and Convention Bureau signals a continued emphasis on integrated island strategies, as Hawaiʻi’s visitor organizations refine how they represent each island to travelers and the travel trade while navigating evolving expectations around responsible tourism.