Tourism

... Much of historic Lahaina town destroyed as huge wildfire sends people fleeing into water ....

... The Haʻikū Stairs have been slated for removal due to safety concerns, but activists say that there are alternatives to ripping out the popular steps ....

... While the Emergency Proclamation issued by Governor Josh Green, M.D., on July 18, removes and/or expedites some of the  regulatory processes associated with a project of this magnitude it does not exempt a demolition contractor from securing material disposal certificates and other regulatory permits. A demolisher has not been chosen yet through the established procurement process. ...

... The public will have 30 days to comment on the new process, which would take effect in spring 2024. It would replace an outdated, 15-year-old manual ....

... approving for inclusion in the 2024 Hawaii State Association of Counties legislative package a state bill relating to the county transient accommodations tax ....

... 889,274 visitors arrived in the Hawaiian Islands in June 2023, an increase of 5.5 percent from June 2022 ....

... The Hawaii Police Department has responded to 6,479 calls for service/incidents in the area from September, 2018, to April, 2023, with an estimated cost for responding to these calls ranges from $319,000 to $459,000 ....

... in recent decades visitor spending stopped growing while the number of tourists continued to increase ....

... That means the HTA board will be under new leadership when it holds a special meeting Thursday to discuss how to proceed after current HTA President and CEO John De Fries leaves the agency ....

... Former President Barack Obama, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, Governor of Hawaii Josh Green, and Senator Hirono Promote Peace through Pearl Harbor National Memorial and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park Sister Park Arrangement ....

... this represents a 94.6 percent recovery in total visitor arrivals from May 2019 ....

... HDOT is working to redevelop Pier 7 at Honolulu Harbor which has been vacant and inactive for the last 14 years, after Bishop Museum closed the Hawaiʻi Maritime Center ....

... the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation expects the additional benefit of reduced demand for overnight and multiple-day parking ....

... 'Hawai‘i Tourism Authority President and CEO John De Fries Announces He Will Decline Extension of Employment Contract' LOL! ....

... DLNR removed a water hose being used to siphon water into an encampment of meth addicts on the lower slopes of Diamond Head ....

... 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." ....