Tourism

... 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 ....

... Visitors in October 2025 spent more on an average daily basis ($277 per person, +12.0%) which offset a 2.9 percent decrease in total arrivals to 749,095 visitors ....

... What is it about CNHA’s $27M HTA contract that the Governor’s Office, CNHA, and HTA are trying to hide from auditors? ....

... When you make it difficult for people to visit, they take the hint and stop coming ....

... BLNR voted Friday, November 14, to defer for six months its decision-making on a DLNR Land Division recommendation to hold a contested case hearing over the proposed disposition of a water license by public auction ....

... Four popular Hawaiʻi state parks will implement parking management and fee systems for nonresidents and commercial vehicles ....

... The Constitution’s Tonnage Clause bars States from imposing any “charge for the privilege of entering, trading in, or lying in a port.” ….

... the Cruise Lines International Association and several Hawaii tour operators are asking for a preliminary injunction to block the law ....

... We expect to cancel roughly 36-40 flights each day through Sunday, Nov. 9 ....

... Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is proposing Legislators again hike the Transient Accommodations Tax ....

... there were 690,858 total visitors to the Hawaiian Islands in September 2025, a 2.5 percent decline compared to September 2024 ....

... the disposal site is approximately 25 miles south of Honolulu Harbor ....

... Could Hawaii be Supplied with Canadian LNG from JERA? ....

"How much longer is it going to take for Lahaina to get back on its feet — five, 10, 15 years?"

... The Bill 9 TIG—which is being dissolved after presentation of its report—included Councilmembers Tamara Paltin, Tom Cook and Shane M. Sinenci ....

... a case testing manufacturer immunity under a 1994 federal law ....

 “It’s more opportunity to kind of reshape some of the tourism experience that we have" -- Josh Green

... Court documents allege Choy was illegally fired September 5, 2025, on the written order of Green’s Chief of Staff, Brooke Wilson ....

... visitor numbers are down, job growth has stalled, and housing activity remains weak ....

...  it will be "months" before the remaining agreements are signed ....

... 24 percent of STVR users would not travel to Hawai‘i Island if this lodging option were unavailable ....

... Where were these politicians while Bissen was creating this problem? ....

... Public debate about tourism in Hawai‘i is often cast in binary terms, either for or against the industry, yet the reality is far more complex ....

... REALITY:  West Maui Stage 2 Water Shortage--Bissen Dumps Water Down Streambed ....

... This seems to me to be a departure from past practice ....

... Hawaii’s economy to expand by 1.3 percent in 2025, a small upward revision from its previous forecast ....

... Turning Hawaiian’s story into a morality play might make for easy headlines, but it does little justice to the reality ....

An individual who receives tips can exclude up to $25,000 of those tips from his or her gross income....

... Total visitor spending measured in nominal dollars was $1.95 billion, a 4.3 percent decrease from July 2024 ....

... two for BLNR, one for Stadium Authority ....

... The 11% surcharge violates the US Constitution’s Tonnage Clause, which prohibits states from imposing taxes on vessels for entering and docking at ports ....

... $100 million annually, directed toward environmental stewardship, hazard mitigation, infrastructure resilience and enhancing the visitor experience ....

... U.S. Code (49 U.S.C. §41703), says foreign airlines cannot sell tickets between two U.S. cities ....

... Some bad ideas just won’t go away ....

... 'equality' imposed by a tourism-driven economy and high cost of living ....

... The appointments follow the resignation of the previous board earlier this summer ....

... Act 88 of 2021, which Act 248 amended, stated that the appropriations in the biennium budget would lapse on June 30, 2024 ....

... decade-long scheme to defraud hundreds of investors out of millions of dollars in connection with Semisub Inc. ....

... 857,102 total visitors to the Hawaiian Islands in June 2025, down 1.8 percent from the same month last year ....

... the DOT is supposed to decarbonize every transportation sector in Hawaii, but there aren’t a lot of options when it comes to maritime emissions ....

... The only cited support was a comparison of empty non-owner occupied second homes in one phase of the Wailea Palms property to another phase that allows short-term rentals ....

... Hawai‘i Projects 41,000 New Jobs by 2032, Led by Health Care and Food Services ....

... State Boards and Commissions Seeking Applicants ....