Tourism in the state of Hawaii is in the brink of chaos. With $800 million worth of deficit in the state's budget, Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie deemed it best to tap into tourism revenues to deal with the problem.

The democrat governor announced this during his first ever State of the State speech, explaining that his government will be taking a portion of Aloha Stadium's renovation allowance, divert funds from the state's tourism marketing arm, and raise taxes on timeshare properties. His words sent waves of worry across the state's tourism officials who were left in an air of uncertainty.

Only one key stakeholder was bold enough to stand up against the governor's orders—the Hawaii Tourism Authority, which enjoys semi-autonomous governance. HTAA President and CEO Mike McCartney argues that development and strengthening of the state's brand marketing must not be halted to ensure economic recovery for Hawaii. Meanwhile, Abercrombie says that the tourism industry's budget has grown disproportionately, and plans to take at least $10 million from the industry's coffers to help with the deficit.