Tourism

... 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 ....

... Hawaii risks being left out in the cold unless its delegates to Congress act quickly to help reform the 1886 Passenger Vessel Services Act ....

... total spending by visitors who came to the islands in September 2021 was $1.05 billion ....

... Hawaii is still in a state of emergency, tourism has slowed, businesses are closing and unemployment is high. The economy will take years to recover ....

... When compared to September 2019, statewide ADR was higher in September 2021 but RevPAR was lower due to less occupancy ....

... a difficult obstacle stands in the way of achieving the HTA action plans:  “HTA lacks authority over state and county agencies.” ....

... The memo concludes that the State did not have the power under the Hawaii Constitution to provide for four extra HART board members.  Thus, we can basically ignore the extra folks and conduct business as if they weren’t around ....

... Six board members voted to deny the FEIS, and one abstained ....

"If you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time you might suffer the scorn of residents, you could get cited, and there are 'other things' that can go wrong.”

"...The RFP’s scope of services has been modified to include destination management services, in alignment with HTA’s new vision of Malama Kuu Home (caring for my beloved home) through the principles of regenerative tourism. HTA’s objective is to help empower the community to have a greater voice in tourism’s future, with a focus on regenerating the environment, perpetuating the Hawaiian culture, recognizing Hawaii’s multiethnic cultures, and supporting responsible economic outcomes...."

... In anticipation of the new tax, the council also passed on first reading today a bill to increase anticipated revenue for the Open Space Fund ....

... A total of 722,393 visitors arrived by air service to the Hawaiian Islands in August 2021 vs 926,417 visitors in August 2019.....

... In August 2021, the total monthly supply of statewide vacation rentals was 616,900 unit nights (+73.0% vs. 2020, -32.7% vs. 2019) ....

"... we are in for a period of weakness before growth resumes late in the year. The end to federal fiscal support will weigh on recovery going forward, and a full return to pre-pandemic conditions remains several years down the road ...."

... Members from the HDOT, U.S. Army, Congress, Executive Office, Legislature, Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association (AOPA), tenants and community members have been meeting every few weeks for the past nine months as a collaborative effort to help save the airfield ....

... In August 2021, passengers arriving from out-of-state could bypass the State’s mandatory 10-day self-quarantine if they were fully vaccinated ....

... this is a sales pitch for less tourism ....

... HB 862 makes no provision whatsoever for joint collection. The counties are on their own ....

... The community-based plan is part of HTA’s work toward Malama Kuu Home (caring for my beloved home) and its accelerated efforts underway to manage tourism in a regenerative manner ....

... Visitor spending decreased compared to $1.70 billion (-6.8%) in July 2019....

... Compared with July 2019, RevPAR was 16.9 percent higher, driven by increased ADR (+21.0%) which offset slightly lower occupancy (-2.9 percentage points) ....

... tourist fails to uphold traditional Hawaiian cultural practices ....

... would not allow any new STRs in residential areas, but allow STRs adjacent to existing resort areas ....

... Hawaii is more than happy to tax the golden goose of tourism. But when it comes to feeding, caring for and cleaning up after it, we can’t seem to get on the same page ....

... Both platforms will now require host-provided tax map key numbers to appear on online listings ....

... Blaisdell Center was recently awarded $3,056,261.58 ....

... Compared to June 2019, visitor spending decreased 11.9 percent from $1.63 billion ....

... but down 32.9% vs. 2019 ....

... an effort to accommodate local residents, while maintaining the improved marine environment ....

... Moody’s cites the Aa1 rating “reflects the continued economic recovery of Maui driven by the rebound of tourism-related activity” ....

... Hawaii’s bars might be among those that have suffered the most under the confusing COVID-19 tier system ....

"... concerned about unintended consequences such as pushing hospitality developments into communities outside of Maui’s resort areas ...."

... The HSP Master Plan caps daily visitation at Hāʻena to 900 people ....

... Some old laws have withstood the test of time. Some haven’t ....

... State lawmakers and DLNR leaders believe the 2021 legislative session was the most productive and effective for natural and cultural resources protection and support of any in recent decades ....