Tourism

... HB 1147 originally started out as a capital improvements project bill in 2021, but this year lawmakers removed the projects and replaced them with operating appropriations for HTA ....

... a 91.6 percent recovery from May 2019. Though this recovery rate is lower than that of April (96.3%), it is the second highest recovery rate since March 2020 ....

... Property owners maintain that pre-existing rental properties shouldn't be subject to a new ordinance changing minimum lease length ....

... contract for a comprehensive range of brand management and visitor education services for the Hawaiian Islands in the United States market, as well as support services shared by Hawai‘i’s brand management teams worldwide ....

... Have you been renting out a room to help pay your mortgage? ....

... 818,268 visitors in April 2022, representing a 96.3 percent recovery from April 2019 and the highest recovery rate since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hawaii. Visitors spent $1.6 billion, an increase of 21 percent compared to the $1.32 billion reported for April 2019 ....

... of the 50 states, Hawaii saw the largest decline in marriage rate, dropping from 14.2-per-1,000 residents in 2019 to 7.4 in 2020 ....

... Inflation in the Islands hit 7.5% in March ....

... At great cost, isolation from the world delayed the spread until vaccines and treatments were available ....

... Oahu's available vacation rentals have already fallen over 37% since 2019, more than any other island ....

... the state Hawaii Tourism Authority might receive no funding at all ....

... a new city enforcement division consisting of seven new employees whose sole duty will be to ferret out Honolulu homeowners who dare to rent out their homes or parts of their homes for less than 90 days ....

... and total spending by visitors who came to the islands in March 2022 was $1.53 billion, which was higher compared to the $1.49 billion (+2.5%) reported for March 2019 ....

... The measure was passed by the Honolulu City Council on April 13, 2022 by a vote of 8-to-1 .... 

... Oahu tightened the screws in 2019. Yet, housing prices still went up. Even when vacation rental usage declined during the lockdowns, it didn’t result in a significant drop in housing costs....

... February 2022 visitor spending was lower than the $1.46 billion (-10.4%) spent in February 2020 ....

... Honolulu rents since 2018 have continued to increase, despite a downturn in short-term rental stays during that time frame ....

... The Pacific Legal Foundation said the ban was an unlawful move by a low-level federal bureaucrat who destroyed a business avenue central to the livelihoods of many in Hawaii ....

... Optimistic UHERO forecast with Omicron end, expected return of international visitors ....

"...An interim security contract at the property lapsed at the end of December 2021.  DLNR continues to explore cost-effective options for further securing the property...." -- DLNR

... Incoming passengers will no longer be required to create a Safe Travels account or provide travelers information and trip details ....

... tourist headcount down 29.8% ....

... booster shots will not be required for “up-to-date” vaccination status for individuals traveling to Hawai‘i ....

... the tourist headcount is down 20.9% ....

... will remain in effect through March 25, 2022 ....

... Based on how short-term vacation rentals are so often portrayed, I wouldn’t blame you if you thought their owners were all terrible people ....

... A total of 14 venues and events were recognized ....

... Honolulu Council Bill 41, that would limit "short-term” rentals on Oahu to no less than 180 days at a time ....

“If we don’t provide the right type of visitor accommodations in the right places, we could see an influx of vacation rentals in our residential neighborhoods."

... the State of Hawaii will be requiring participation in the State’s Safe Travels digital platform to upload proof of vaccination or negative test results for cruise lines arriving in Hawaii from outside the state ....

... November 2021 visitor spending was lower compared to the $1.34 billion (-11.5%) reported for November 2019 ....

... the Aloha State now has the highest tourist taxes in the nation, topping out at 17.75% ....

... Compared with November 2019, RevPAR was 3.8 percent lower, driven by lower occupancy (-19.4 percentage points) which could not be offset by increased ADR (+27.5%) ....

... these debates are meaningless ....

... Economic recovery resumed with the end of Hawaii’s COVID-19 wave. Now Omicron is a new threat .... 

... Honolulu travelers spend a minimum of $754 for a rental car Christmas week ....

...Translation: The Legislature took the counties' share of the state TAT away but let them impose their own TAT.  I'm giving it to rail -- so, in effect, other city services have been cut to fund rail but -- like a shell game -- with so many moving parts, the public has been deceived....

“...With a combined effort of increased enforcement, as well as partnerships with third-party platforms such as Expedia, the Kaua‘i Planning Department estimates that illegal vacation rentals on Kaua‘i have gone from roughly 1,500 in 2017 down to less than 50 today....”

... projected revenues from the tax fall short of what the project needs to cover its budget shortfalls ....

... A total of 550,781 visitors arrived by air service to the Hawaiian Islands in October 2021, mainly from the U.S. West and U.S. East. ...

... For many years various solutions have been discussed ....

... a Maui County Council proposal that aspires to create more housing on Maui by phasing out about 7,000 vacation rentals ....

... cruise ships that are registered in Bermuda or the Bahamas are required to sail to Fanning Island, 1,000 miles to the south of Hawaii ....

... Bill 41 Relating to Transient Accommodations was transmitted to the Council by the Honolulu Planning Commission last month and is scheduled for First Reading at its full Council meeting on Nov. 10, 2021 ....

... lump-sum entry fees assessed on visitors only are legally problematic in the U.S. as they may be judged to impede travel between states and discriminate against non-residents in violation of the U.S. Constitution and federal laws ....

... Kawakami: New state order ‘essentially forces’ vaccine requirements ....

... The State of Hawaiʻi will welcome international travelers under the new federal requirements starting next Monday, Nov. 8 ....

... the Maui County Transient Accommodations Tax (MCTAT) goes into effect November 1, 2021 ....

... eliminating TVR use from these subject condominiums would result in a possible loss of $23 million in revenue annually, and upwards of $74 million in annual revenue lost overall ....

... the federal funds made it unnecessary for our legislators to take all of the TAT funds. But they did it anyway ....