The Hawaiʻi Visitors and Convention Bureau has appointed Samira Siale as island director of the Kauaʿi Visitors Bureau, effective April 16, 2026.
Siale succeeds Sue Kanoho, managing director of the Island Chapters and executive director of the Kauaʿi Visitors Bureau, who will retire after 29 years of service.
“We are deeply grateful to Sue Kanoho, whose decades of leadership helped establish a foundation of trust and credibility that will continue to shape this work for years to come,” said Aaron J. Salā, president and CEO of HVCB. “Samira brings a strong track record of building alignment across Kauaʻi’s visitor industry, and that matters at a time when this work continues to demand deep coordination between community, industry, and place. She understands the responsibility that comes with representing Kauaʻi, and I am confident in her ability to lead with excitement, discipline, and care.”
A Kauaʿi resident, Siale brings more than a decade of on-island experience to the role, including her current position as executive director of the Hawaiʿi Lodging and Tourism Association – Kauaʿi Chapter.
“I have spent my career building connections across every sector of this island, and I am deeply honored to bring that work to the Kauaʻi Visitors Bureau,” Siale said. “My focus will be advancing a tourism model rooted in community well-being, cultural respect, and the long-term health of Kauaʻi as a destination.”
Kanoho will conclude her service with the Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau on April 30.
Joining the bureau in 1997, Kanoho championed Kauaʿi with “unwavering commitment, overseeing advertising, public relations, travel trade promotions, and the Kauaʿi Destination Management Action Plan, while later expanding her reach statewide through oversight of the Island Chapters,” according to a news release from the bureau.
“It is time for me to fulfill my promise to my husband to retire and travel,” said Kanoho. “I am so grateful for the work I have been able to accomplish over the years with our partners and my team at the Island Chapters and HVCB.”
