Written by Shannon Ii

Using his knowledge of oli, and the Hawaiian culture, Charles went from being a tour transporter all the way up to management. He worked at the Ritz-Carlton for seven years in the VITEC (Visitor Industry Training & Economic Development Center) program and then got the job at Kapalua Land Company as Cultural Advisor, which he still holds and also works at the Old Lahaina Luau as a chanter.

The main thing he stressed in his speech was that aloha is the central theme of travel and tourism, "alo" meaning presence and "ha" meaning the breath of life. He says that aloha means to be in the presence of our creator. He says that in order to succeed in the travel industry you need aloha, good business skills, speaking ability, and love to be in contact with people. "It is always important to be happy in what ever you choose to do in order to be successful." Charles also did a chant for us called "Mele Pa’i Ali’i" which honors royal families and says that royalty may be above everyone but they also need to take care of the ones below them. In the olden day it was always like this, but things have really changed. Charles says, "give as much as you can without expecting anything in return and be what you want to be not what someone else wants you to be!" Charles was a very inspirational speaker and I realized that I should study my culture and stick with it because I can become the next cultural advisor for any hotel as long as I study and work hard!