Tourism

... following the signing of a bill by Governor Josh Green, M.D., facilitating the continued community-based management of this 65-acre state park ....

... air tour management plans would severely limit helitours at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the Haleakalā National Park ....

... 806,209 people visited Hawaii in April 2023, representing a 97.4% recovery since April 2019 ....

... Nightly closures of runway 8L from 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. will be needed for a 140-day period to complete the improvements to the runway ....

... $27M of Green's illegal $200M slush fund has spilled into CNHA's lap ....

... The bill containing the fee proposal, Senate Bill 304, did not survive the conference committee process. ...

“HTA is thankful that the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and the Legislature agreed on a funding approach that will allow HTA to continue...."

... how will this help Dela Cruz make money on Aloha Stadium? ....

... As measured in nominal dollars, these visitors spent $1.84 billion in March 2023, up from $1.53 billion (+20.4%) in March 2022 and $1.49 billion (+23.4%) in March 2019 ....

... I am confident that HTA can continue to operate with roughly $30 million of unspent American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds ....

... In Waikiki, Lahaina, and Kihei, 10,000s of hotel condo units were built as STRs in the 1980s and 1990s long before anybody ever heard of AirBnB and long before the recent housing inflation.  'Removing all STRs' would include stripping these units of their rights.  You are not supposed to notice this fatuous little trick, but now you have ....

... If Hawaii’s politicians aren’t careful, they might kill the goose that lays the golden egg .... 

"...HTA’s statutory authority lacks force .... HTA did not have sufficient authority or resources to require others to help carry out (the) plan...."

... Testimonies submitted to the state Legislature, Honolulu Council, and Maui Council by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii during the past week ....

"...what you’re really doing is just shifting the visitor impact around, and you’re creating new issues of congestion and use....”

... impractical and legally dubious ....

... Choy begins work on April 10 and will be responsible for overseeing HTA’s management of finances and government funding, including compliance with legislative and auditing requirements ....

... tourist spending in nominal non-inflating dollars is +18.0% vs February 2019.  Inflation is 16.77% 2019-2023 so we are just treading water ....

... Hawaii County already has some of the most restrictive housing regulations in the U.S. ....

... SB1522 would replace the HTA with a new “Office of Destination Management.” ....

"...While international tourism will continue to recover, domestic travel will soften as the US economy contracts later this year...."

... your cousins will have to pay hundreds of dollars to go to the family barbecue at Ala Moana Beach Park ....

... We have been taxing the bejeebers out of tourists ....

... this classification creates a significant tax burden for landlords — even those renting to working class families ....

“Businesses that are involved in the cannabis industry must ensure that their activities comply with the law.”

"...full recovery may take a few years...."

... Measure To Impose Strict Safety Requirements And Provide For State And Local Community Disruption Regulation On Commercial Air Tour Operations ....

... With the average hotel occupancy projected to be about 63% across the nation this year, Hawaii is projected to have a 78% occupancy rate. Its rate in 2019 was 80%, the report showed ....

... CNHA: Josh Green will Give us Tourism Contract ....

“In the very near future, we are going to do a request for proposals for the development within the facility itself. Since this is envisioned as a public-private partnership the current parking layout may shift some in the future. That could include a parking structure at the harbor”

... Waipi'o Valley Road, now partially reopened, has been the subject of controversy since its February 2022 closure ....

... Translation: Marketing is for HCVB and 'Stewardship' is for CNHA ....

... Results of Fall 2022 Resident Sentiment Survey Released ....

... Pro surfer Bethany Hamilton says she won’t compete in WSL events following new transgender rule ....

... The Hawaii House Committee on Tourism advanced a bill that dissolves the state's tourism authority and creates a three-member "destination management agency." ....

... Some members of the Hawaii County Council are proposing tighter regulations on hosted short-term rentals ....

... visitor arrivals from Japan (36,988) and Canada (58,361) were at the highest monthly levels since the start of the pandemic ....

... the lifting of the injunction in the WHRFMA does not permit the immediate resumption of commercial aquarium fishing ....

... another driver, who they say was in a big hurry, forced them off the side of the road. One of the tires on their rented convertible was sliced by a rock ....

... Nāhoʻopiʻi earned a certificate from the First Nations’ Futures Institute at Stanford University ....

...The lie that tourists pay 30% of the GE Tax is front and center as Gov Green and legislators quickly walk back Green’s fake 2022 campaign promise to eliminate the GE Tax from food and medical care....

... Inflation is 17% from 2019 to 2022 so a 13.7% 'nominal' increase means 'real dollar' spending is down, not up ....

“...You’re going to have to earn something like that....”

... Visitor Satisfaction and Activity Survey Includes Data from Six Major Market Areas for the First Time in Two Years ....

... The attorneys general warned about possible abuse of a proposed rule requiring refunds when there’s a significant change in flight itinerary ....

... Rising interest rates, dwindling pandemic era savings and the coming U.S. downturn will cause a pause in growth next year. But the belated recovery of the Japanese visitor market and surging public sector construction will prevent a recession in the islands ....

"...CNHA plans to update its protest against the unlawful actions of DBEDT's former director Mike McCartney...."

...O‘ahu residents now have an additional two years to get the REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and state identification cards necessary to board domestic flights and enter some federal buildings....

... CNHA was disappointed with the Department of Business and Economic Development and Tourism Director’s proposal this past Monday to rescind CNHA’s award; renege on the brokered resolution; and cancel the underlying solicitation ....

... Inflation is 17% from 2019 to 2022 so a 15.1% 'nominal' increase means 'real dollar' spending is down, not up ....