Hawaii Offers Free Hotel Lodging to Travelers in Exchange for Volunteer Work

Hawaii recently revealed a new initiative that offers travelers a free night in a hotel in exchange for volunteer work. The initiative, called Mālama Hawai‘i, is implemented in conjunction with hotels all over the island. It allows visitors to participate in various voluntourism efforts and creative ventures, like tree planting, beach cleanups, ocean reef preservation, and quilt-making. As a perk for participating, travelers get to stay one night at a hotel for free. Before the pandemic, almost 10 million people came to Hawaii every year. The sheer amount of visitors usually disturbs the locals’ lives because of heavy traffic, crowded beaches, environmental harm, and the like. These disruptions have led to a strained relationship between Hawaiian locals and tourists. As a way of improving the impact of tourism in Hawaii, the Mālama Hawai‘i program was created to encourage responsible travel among tourists and to get them involved in voluntourism efforts during their trip. Currently, around 36 hotels across Hawaii are participating in the initiative. Each hotel offers a unique package that supports different local nonprofit organizations. For example, the Outrigger Waikiki resort offers visitors a free third night stay at its hotel for joining an eco-program at Kualoa Ranch, a private nature reserve. The Alohilani Resort also offers a free fifth night stay, a free luxury car rental, and a $200 resort credit to travelers if they volunteer to plant trees. Alaska Airlines also participated in the program, promising to plant a tree for every flight made to Hawaii in 2020.