My wife and I recently spent four days on Maui, seeing how things are going in the wake of the devastating Lahaina fires and checking out new (to us) hotels and restaurants. I’m happy to say that things are moving along, although not at the pace some would hope. New homes are being built in Lahaina, and there’s a new restaurant in the north end of town, where a cluster of waterfront buildings and the Lahaina Cannery Mall escaped the deadly fires. The second night of our visit, my wife and I ate dinner at the wonderful Star Noodle, which Read more
Hawaii Tourism
Visitor arrivals to Hawaii are on the upswing. According to preliminary statistics there were 707,486 visitors to the Hawaiian Islands in September 2024, up 7.8% from the same month last year. Hawaii Tourism Authority figures say arrivals in September 2024 represent a 96.1% recovery from pre-pandemic, September 2019 figures. In September 2024, 19,188 visitors from Canada arrived in Hawai’i as a whole, an increase from September 2023 (18,647 visitors, +2.9%), but a decline compared to September 2019 (21,928 visitors, -12.5%). The stats show visits from all outside destinations were down slightly for O’ahu (-1.3% for September of this year, versus Read more
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
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
