It’s been a tough year for tourism on Maui, but positive signs are emerging. Virtuoso, a luxury travel agent network that books exclusive vacations around the world, said its sales for Maui resorts are up 4% for the first six months of the year. For the winter holiday or “festive” season, sales are up a whopping 66%. A network spokesperson on Monday, Aug. 12 said that West Maui/Lahaina bookings are about 7% lower than Wailea, which makes sense given the incredible fire damage to Lahaina in August of last year. “Even with the noticeable impacts on tourism to Maui, we Read more
Hawaii Tourism
Hawai’i has a new tourism framework that’s aimed at protecting the islands’ culture and environment. Governor Josh Green this signed into law a bill incorporating regenerative tourism frameworks into the Hawaiʻi State Planning Act. “Sustainable tourism is essential for the future of our state,” said Green. “This bill ensures that our visitor industry grows in a way that respects and preserves our cultural heritage while promoting economic diversification.” Senate Bill 2659, introduced by Senators Jarrett Keohokalole and Les Ihara, Jr. and championed by the Native Hawaiian Caucus in both chambers of the Legislature, incorporates a regenerative framework into the Hawaiʻi Read more
Canada Day is right around the corner and Expedia data is showing it to be the busiest travel weekend of the summer. Domestically, Toronto (32%), Vancouver (23%), Montréal (25%), Calgary (24%), and Edmonton (17%) are the most sought-after destinations for Canadians, and are also seeing double digit increases, up from Canada Day 2023. For international travel, New York came in as the top city overall (31%), but Cancun and Las Vegas prove to be the fastest growing with increases of 112% and 61% respectively. Canadians looking to celebrate the holiday abroad are also jet-setting to Rome (22%), Athens (25%), Los Read more
Pedestrians are getting a permanent break in Banff. Hawaii Tourism Boasts Strong Holiday Numbers. And indigenous tourism is poised for a Canadian boom. A few travel tidbits for today. BANFF PED ZONE NOW PERMANENT Banff’s popular downtown pedestrian zone is now a permanent feature in the wildly popular Alberta destination. Town officials have decided to keep the zone in place from the May long weekend to Thanksgiving weekend every year. Canadian Press reports the town decided to permanently fund the project, which began during the COVID-19 pandemic, as part of its annual operating budget. “It is, however, still unclear whether Read more
Canadians and other visitors continue to rate Hawaii as a top destination The Hawaiʻi Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism recently released the results of its Third Quarter Visitor Satisfaction and Activity Survey for 2023, which found that at least 95% of visitors from each geographic region surveyed rated the Hawaiian Islands as “excellent” or “above average” when it comes to offering a variety of experiences. Meanwhile, the majority of those surveyed ranked Hawai‘i as either “excellent” or “above average” in the number of different or unique experiences offered. Overall satisfaction levels among visitors from all markets surveyed remained Read more
