This Week Hawaii Marks 60 Years with Hybrid Media Expansion and Digital Tracking Tools

Six decades after its founding in 1966, This Week Hawaii, the state's original visitor publication, is marking its 60th anniversary with a significant expansion of its hybrid media model. The brand, which now produces more than 1,300 pages of curated content annually across four island editions, has introduced enhanced digital tracking tools that allow advertising partners to measure engagement from both print and digital placements. This move deepens the integration between the publication's physical guides and its digital platform, thisweekhawaii.com, which launched in 2005.

The anniversary milestone underscores the publication's evolution from a simple print magazine placed in travelers' hands at airports and hotels into a comprehensive media network. Under the Hagadone Media Group, This Week Hawaii now combines traditional print advertising with QR codes, digital placements, and trackable metrics, giving local businesses data-informed visibility alongside the tangible presence of a printed guide. General Manager Ed Chung noted that the trust built over six decades is a foundation for this hybrid approach, which allows the brand to serve both travelers and businesses in an increasingly digital travel landscape.

A key differentiator for This Week Hawaii has been its commitment to island-specific storytelling. Rather than a single statewide publication, the brand maintains four print editions—Oahu, Maui, Big Island, and Kauai—each supported by locally embedded editorial teams. This structure ensures that a traveler on Kauai receives content shaped by local perspectives, from Na Pali Coast insights to neighborhood dining recommendations. This editorial authenticity has positioned the publication as a cultural bridge rather than a generic travel guide.

The hybrid model is designed for the modern traveler: print editions remain distributed through airports, hotels, and visitor centers, while QR codes on pages connect readers directly to digital content. For businesses, this means the ability to track engagement and measure advertising performance in real time, a capability that traditional print alone could not offer. This combination of tactile familiarity and digital accountability is particularly valuable for family-run restaurants, activity operators, and cultural experiences that have partnered with the publication across generations.

As This Week Hawaii enters its seventh decade, the brand's editorial teams across the islands continue the work begun in 1966: helping visitors navigate Hawaii's distinct culture and connecting them with local businesses. The 60-year legacy is not just about longevity but about the accumulation of trust across generations—travelers who carried a copy in the 1970s now see their children and grandchildren accessing the same institution through smartphones. This continuity across formats and island communities defines what the milestone represents.