The head of the Hawaii Tourism Authority says the organization is “in jeopardy” after being left out of the state’s most recent budget bill, and that “tough decisions” are ahead for the state-run agency.

In an email statement issued Saturday, HTA CEO John de Fries said, “With the omission of the Hawaii Tourism Authority from the state budget bill and… deferral of HB1375, our work in holistic, integrated destination management, visitor education, and brand marketing is in jeopardy.

“We appreciate the Legislature’s appropriation to repair the Hawaii Convention Center roof, and with adjustments to current contracts, we will have funds to keep the lights on and retain our staff of 22. Our leadership team and board of directors will be making tough decisions in the coming days about cancelling active procurements, existing contracts, and ongoing community work.

“We look forward to working with the Legislature to earn their confidence in our work ahead of next year’s session.”

The bill, which would have dissolved the Authority and restructured and renamed it as the Office of Tourism and Destination Management, was deferred until state legislators return from break.

In an interview on Hawaii News Now, the chair of Hawaii’s House Tourism Committee Sean Quinlan said “the work isn’t going to stop (for the HTA). There still is enough money in the HTA to continue their destination management efforts, and to continue a lot of their cultural support, if not all of it. The big question is: will there be enough money left for marketing? I suspect not very much.”

Another initiative that failed to pass in the legislature was a proposal for a US $50 “green fee” to be charged to all visitors. It is expected to be revived next year.

The debates come as Hawaii many residents call for measures to mitigate over tourism in the islands, especially in the face of a post-pandemic surge in visitors.