Hawaiiʻs ʻTourism industry continues to be softʻ
HONOLULU (KHON2) — The visitor industry in Hawaii continues to struggle, according to DBEDT. Compared to last year, the average daily census of total visitors in February declined going from … The Hawaii tourism industry continues to struggle, with the average daily census of total visitors declining from 243,842 in February 2023 to 236,008 in February 2022, and daily visitor spending decreasing from $58.5 million per day in February 2021 to $57.1 million. Since the August 2023 Maui wildfires, both visitor census and visitor spending have recorded seven consecutive months of year-over-year decreases. Despite this, visitor spending was higher than pre-pandemic February 2019. The decline in visitor spending is attributed to the impact of the Maui wildfire and the shift of U.S. and Canadian visitors to other international destinations due to currency appreciation. DBEDT Director James Kunane Tokioka is optimistic about the recovery of the Japan market and other international markets following Governor Green's recent trip to Japan.
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HONOLULU (KHON2) — The visitor industry in Hawaii continues to struggle, according to DBEDT.
Compared to last year, the average daily census of total visitors in February declined going from 243,842 in February 2023 to this yearʻs 236,008. Daily average visitor spending was also down from $58.5 million per day in February 2023 to this yearʻs $57.1 million. However, visitor spending was higher than pre-pandemic February 2019 in which visitorsʻ daily spending was $49.6 million.
“Since the August 2023 Maui wildfires, both average daily visitor census and daily visitor spending have recorded seven consecutive months of year-over-year decreases.”
Visitors from Japan and their spending was up from February 2023ʻs 26,650 to this yearʻs 55,716 and their spending was $82 million to 2023ʻs $43.7 million.
“We are pleased to see the Japan market and other international markets continue to recover during the first two months of this year. With Governor Green’s most recent trip to Japan to strengthen tourism opportunities in partnership with the U.S. government, the Japanese government, and the private sector, we are optimistic about the outcomes to support travel and economic growth for Hawaiʻi and Japan,” said DBEDT Director James Kunane Tokioka.
There were a total of 1,044,478 seats on the 4,679 transpacific flights in February 2024 compared to the 1,029,708 seats on 4,659 in 2023.
“The visitor statistics indicate that our tourism industry continues to be soft. The main reasons for the weakness include the continued impact of the Maui wildfires and the shift of U.S. and Canadian visitors to other international destinations due to currency appreciation. The currency situation is expected to improve when the Federal Reserve starts to cut interest rates during the second half of 2024,” said Tokioka.