Tourism

“...Should (the Hawaii Supreme Court) ultimately reverse the lower court ruling and recognize that at least certain animals are legal persons entitled to assert their fundamental interests in court, it will be the first court in the nation to do so….”

... college athletes to be compensated for their name, image, and likeness (referred to as NIL) ....

...distribution of heroin and fentanyl from a hotel in Waikiki....

"Bill 88 does not automatically rezone a single property. Instead, it creates a legislative pathway. If the bill passes the full council, individual property owners would still need to apply for a zone change on a case-by-case basis."

... seagliders are being investigated as a possible mode of interisland transportation ....

...visitors who came in April 2026 spent significantly more on an average daily basis ($278 per person, +14.1%)....

"...gifts of swag and tickets from ... tournament officials can be inferred as being an intent to influence or reward county officers...." -- Maui County Ethics Board

... UHERO projects visitor arrivals will grow about 2% this year before slowing sharply in 2027 ....

... visitor spending and real estate investment to defense contracting, prefabricated housing, education and captive insurance ....

...There were 888,349 total visitors in March 2026, down 1.7 percent compared to March 2025 (903,891 visitors)....

... Miske Mob Were All Union Drivers on Set of Hawaii 5-0 ....

...a group of customers claimed the merger had increased flight costs and reduced services in violation of antitrust laws....

... A Ninth Circuit panel said a federal judge misinterpreted a key aviation liability law when tossing claims against an aircraft manufacturer named in a wrongful death lawsuit ....

... The Hawaii Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection voted 2-2, leaving the recommendation to ban commercial aquarium fishing on Oahu unadopted ....

...the extraordinary losses from the 2023 wildfires in Lahaina and Kula continue to dampen tourist numbers....

...total spending by visitors in February 2026 was $1.91 billion, an increase of 10.3 percent....  787,024 total visitors came to the Hawaiian Islands, up 3.6 percent...

... multiple people take the guy down to the ground and they wail on him with fists and feet ... including one woman who kicks him in the face several times ....

... The Sierra Club’s favorite Hawaii carbon credit scheme is run by a former penny stock tout listed in the ‘Panama Papers.’  It isn't going well .... 

...For 23 of the past 25 years, more residents have left Hawaiʻi for the continent than have arrived....

... Japan’s downturn hit Hawaiʻi harder than almost anywhere else ....

... going through the budget with a fine-toothed comb is long overdue, and it would likely net more than enough savings to preserve our tax cuts ....

...Maui Cultural Resources Commission could need to sign off on more than 100 rebuilding plans for properties in the Lahaina National Historic Landmark District or one of the county’s historic zoning districts, yet it has approved only six since the fires....

... Hawai‘i’s Economy Shows Resilience Despite Global Uncertainty ....

...Department of Homeland Security proposal includes required production and review of years of travelers’ social media history....

... is it really a loophole? ....

... there are bills that would undo the TAT extension to cruise lines and, instead, impose a per-passenger charge on cruise ship docking ....

... Otaguro admits HDoT has not sought a legal opinion from the Attorney General’s office on whether Act 152 really requires the project ....  

... Tourism has stabilized ....

... spending by visitors in January 2026 was $2.26 billion up 19.0 percent compared to January 2025. A 10.4 percent growth in total arrivals to 874,358 visitors ....

... Hawaii Water Service is moving forward with a feasibility study for a decentralized wastewater treatment plant in Kapalua that would produce recycled water and give the community a drought-resistant supply of irrigation water ....

... due to the ongoing partial federal government shutdown ....

"... DOBOR simply does not know whether it recovered from vessel owners or their insurers the costs it expended ..."

... “left-behind places” share a common pattern: a dominant industry stops growing, productivity stalls, and incomes stagnate ....

... We demand you crush the TVRs ....

... A total of 9,642,991 visitors arrived in calendar year 2025, down slightly from 9,701,499 visitors (-0.6%) in 2024 ....

... The non-existent FAA mandate is HDoT’s rationale for a $22.26M contract to replace the brand new systems ....

... While the AG was counting her chickens, barristers worked through the holidays to bring the preliminary injunction appeal to justice ....

... 3.6 percent decrease in total arrivals to 736,831 visitors ....

... A second lawsuit has been filed challenging Maui Bill 9 ....

... plan to be out of the area no later than 6 p.m. ....

... The AG isn't telling you this, but the plaintiffs immediately filed an appeal to the 9th Circuit.  They also filed a motion for a stay pending appeal ....

... Bill 9 will cause job losses for Maui residents, impede entrepreneurship, reduce county tax revenues and result in expensive litigation against the county ....

... The ink of Bissen’s signature is barely dry and, precisely as predicted, the litigation is already beginning ....

... and Lihue comes in 7th ....

... Hawaii laws levy a general excise tax on accommodation bookings but the state insists Booking.com can't preemptively challenge the law before actually paying the tax ....

...The final vote to approve Bill 9 was 5-3 with Gabe Johnson, Shane Sinenci, Keani-Rawlins-Fernandez, Nohelani Uʻu-Hodgins and Tamara Paltin voting yes. Yuki Lei Sugimura, Tom Cook and Chair Alice Lee voted no....

... A tourism downturn is now underway, and job losses will occur in a number of sectors in 2026 ....

... For the last five years, this historical space has been closed to the public . But now, visitors are welcomed back ....

... the cruise lines alleged that the tax appeal system we have here is anything but plain, speedy, and efficient ....

... outgoing Administrator Sal Petilos is retiring after two and a half years with the City ....