Getting more Hawaiians involved in shaping the future of Hawai'i's visitor industry is among the goals of the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association's tourism conference next week.

The three-day conference beginning May 2 is the first of its kind, bringing members of the Hawaiian community and the visitor industry together to discuss mutual concerns, said Lulani Arquette, executive director of the private, nonprofit Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association.

"We are at a serious crossroads here," she said. "We really have to take a look at strains that have been put upon the state's natural, physical and cultural (assets) and our people."

Growing concerns about tourism's impact on the community and natural resources and an increasing number of travelers looking for authentic cultural experiences have helped stir efforts to get more Hawaiians involved in the visitor industry.

Hawaiian culture has long been recognized as key to tourism here, and at least some in the Hawaiian community have noted examples where the industry perpetuates the culture and community. But the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association and others have said more needs to be done.

The goal of the conference is to create a plan that will ultimately lead to more career and economic opportunities for Hawaiians; better management of Hawai'i's natural resources, environment and infrastructure; and educational resources on Hawaiian culture for the visitor industry.

"It's about also enhancing and building relationships between the visitor industry and Native Hawaiians, because that hasn't been the greatest," Arquette said.

The conference, at the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa, comes at a time when Hawai'i's No. 1 industry has been enjoying high numbers of visitors. But frustration with how leaders are handling the growth in tourism also appears to be growing. A recent Hawai'i Tourism Authority-sponsored survey showed that for the first time, a majority of residents believe visitors are given priority over local people.

Arquette said the conference is the culmination of more than 70 meetings over the past 10 months with Hawaiian organizations, visitor industry leaders, government officials and others. Those gatherings also include 17 community meetings statewide.

More than a dozen common themes have emerged from those meetings, including concerns about straining natural resources, the inaccurate portrayal of Hawaiian culture, and the growth of Hawai'i's population and visitor arrivals without adequate infrastructure, Arquette said.

"I think I just feel the tension building up when we've met in these communities, with traffic and development and the number of tourists that have come into Hawai'i," she said. "I'm just really glad that at least at this point in time, the state and HTA and some of the visitor industry leadership are getting it.

"So I just hope that there's the patience and commitment to stick with it."

About 100 people have registered for the conference so far, including some hotel general managers, Native Hawaiians in the visitor industry, community leaders and others.

The conference is sponsored primarily by the Hawai'i Tourism Authority and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

Perpetuating the Hawaiian culture and community is among nine initiatives included in the Hawai'i Tourism Authority's "Hawaii Tourism Strategic Plan: 2005-2015."

"If you look at any other similar sand, sun, surf, beach destination, the thing that makes us different is the fact that we are Hawai'i, that we have the Hawaiian culture," said Robbie Kane, HTA product development coordinator. "It was very evident during the strategic plan discussions and the input from the community that people recognize that and that we need to preserve and perpetuate the Hawaiian culture. It was also evident that there was not a very strong relationship between the Hawaiian community, the Hawaiian culture and the visitor industry.

"One of the things that this Native Hawaiian tourism conference does is have an opportunity for all of the stakeholders to be at the table together to talk about some of the issues and concerns and to start coming out with some solutions."

Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com.