Hawaii Travel Guide Celebrates 20 Years Online and 60 in Print

Print Launched in 1966, Digital in 2005 – This Week Hawaii Marks Two Publishing Milestones at Once

Honolulu, United States – May 8, 2026 / This Week Hawaii /

Six decades ago, a print magazine began finding its way into the hands of travelers arriving in the Hawaiian Islands. Today, This Week Hawaii marks its 60th anniversary with the launch of an expanded hybrid media initiative that extends the brand’s reach across all four island editions and introduces enhanced digital tracking tools for advertising partners.

Founded in 1966, This Week Hawaii has grown from a single publication into the largest visitor publication distribution network in the state, producing more than 1,300 pages of curated content annually across Oahu, Maui, Big Island, and Kauai.

From Print Pages to a Living Digital Platform

When the first issue was published in 1966, Hawaii’s visitor industry looked nothing like it does today. The publication addressed a specific need: a locally produced resource that could orient arriving travelers and connect them with the culture, geography, and businesses of each island. That foundational purpose has remained constant across six decades.

In 2005, This Week Hawaii launched its digital platform, thisweekhawaii.com, extending the brand beyond the printed page and into the devices travelers carry. Rather than replacing print, the expansion created an integrated model in which both formats operate in parallel. The platform now functions as part of the Hagadone Media Group and combines traditional print advertising with digital placements, QR codes, and trackable engagement metrics — giving local businesses data-informed visibility alongside the physical presence of a printed hawaii visitor guide.

“Reaching this 60-year milestone is a reflection of the trust that travelers and local businesses have placed in us since 1966,” said General Manager of This Week Hawaii, Ed Chung. “With more than 1,300 pages of editorial content distributed across four islands and a digital platform that launched 20 years ago, we have spent six decades earning the right to call ourselves Hawaii’s visitor guide — and we do not take that lightly.”

Four Islands, Four Editorial Voices

One of the structural elements that has defined This Week Hawaii throughout its history is a commitment to island-specific storytelling. Rather than producing a single statewide publication, the brand maintains four print editions — Oahu, Maui, Big Island, and Kauai — each supported by locally embedded editorial teams who live and work within the communities they cover.

A traveler picking up the Kauai edition receives content shaped by people with direct knowledge of the Na Pali Coast and surrounding communities — a perspective that a centralized newsroom could not authentically replicate. This ground-level editorial approach has positioned This Week Hawaii as something closer to a cultural reference than a conventional hawaii travel guide.

A Hybrid Model Built for the Modern Traveler

Print editions continue to be distributed through airports, hotels, resorts, and visitor centers across the state, reaching travelers as they arrive and begin organizing their time on island. Alongside each print placement, QR codes connect readers directly to digital content, allowing businesses to track engagement and measure advertising performance in ways that print alone could not provide.

For businesses that have partnered with This Week Hawaii across generations — family-run restaurants, activity operators, and cultural experiences — the model offers continuity alongside measurable evolution. The physical familiarity of a printed hawaii travel guide now carries the accountability of digital analytics.

Six Decades as Hawaii’s Cultural Compass

What distinguishes a 60-year publishing legacy is not longevity alone — it is the accumulation of trust across successive generations of travelers. Visitors who came to Hawaii in the 1970s may have carried a copy of This Week Hawaii in their bags. Their children and grandchildren now access the same institution through a smartphone. That continuity across generations, formats, and four distinct island communities is what the milestone reflects.

As This Week Hawaii enters its seventh decade, editorial teams across Oahu, Maui, Big Island, and Kauai continue the work that began in 1966: helping those who visit hawaii find their footing in one of the most distinct places on Earth, and connecting them with the people and places that make each island worth returning to.

About This Week Hawaii

This Week Hawaii is Hawaii’s original and longest-running visitor publication, founded in 1966 and operating under Hagadone Media Group. The platform produces four island-specific print editions covering Oahu, Maui, Big Island, and Kauai, supported by locally embedded editorial teams. Its hybrid model integrates print distribution with digital placements, QR code tracking, and measurable engagement tools, distributing more than 1,300 pages of curated content annually through the largest visitor publication network in the state.

Learn more at This Week Hawaii