Tourism

... This seems to me to be a departure from past practice ....

... Hawaii’s economy to expand by 1.3 percent in 2025, a small upward revision from its previous forecast ....

... Turning Hawaiian’s story into a morality play might make for easy headlines, but it does little justice to the reality ....

An individual who receives tips can exclude up to $25,000 of those tips from his or her gross income....

... Total visitor spending measured in nominal dollars was $1.95 billion, a 4.3 percent decrease from July 2024 ....

... two for BLNR, one for Stadium Authority ....

... The 11% surcharge violates the US Constitution’s Tonnage Clause, which prohibits states from imposing taxes on vessels for entering and docking at ports ....

... $100 million annually, directed toward environmental stewardship, hazard mitigation, infrastructure resilience and enhancing the visitor experience ....

... U.S. Code (49 U.S.C. §41703), says foreign airlines cannot sell tickets between two U.S. cities ....

... Some bad ideas just won’t go away ....

... 'equality' imposed by a tourism-driven economy and high cost of living ....

... The appointments follow the resignation of the previous board earlier this summer ....

... Act 88 of 2021, which Act 248 amended, stated that the appropriations in the biennium budget would lapse on June 30, 2024 ....

... decade-long scheme to defraud hundreds of investors out of millions of dollars in connection with Semisub Inc. ....

... 857,102 total visitors to the Hawaiian Islands in June 2025, down 1.8 percent from the same month last year ....

... the DOT is supposed to decarbonize every transportation sector in Hawaii, but there aren’t a lot of options when it comes to maritime emissions ....

... The only cited support was a comparison of empty non-owner occupied second homes in one phase of the Wailea Palms property to another phase that allows short-term rentals ....

... Hawai‘i Projects 41,000 New Jobs by 2032, Led by Health Care and Food Services ....

... State Boards and Commissions Seeking Applicants ....

... while the names may change, the pattern — unfortunately — hasn’t ....

... I’ve had no choice ....

... short-term rentals have been lawful, residential uses in these districts for decades ....

... May 2025 total visitor arrivals represent a 91.0 percent recovery compared to pre-pandemic May 2019 ....

... NASED project team today announced an extension of the deadline for its negotiations with Aloha Hālawa District Partners (AHDP) ....

... the organization has a history of threatening and attempting to intimidate anyone who speaks out against them ....

“... Hope you’ve got a good banker for bridge loans—because we might not pay you on time ....”

... BOR unanimously approved the appointment ....

... After being frog-marched out of the building, former HTA VP of Finance Isaac Choy is spilling the beans ....

... The Lahaina fire is an opportunity to exploit.  The hotel unions and the hotels want the TVR business all for themselves ....

... Two bills that would relax some of these regulations passed out of a Maui County Council committee just this week ....

... Most recently, he served as the UCLA Bruins’ Chief Strategy Officer from 2022 to 2024, where he led the department’s transition from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten ....

... Ultimately, visitor arrivals would rise consecutively for nine straight years from 2010 through 2019 ....

... There were 833,219 visitors to the Hawaiian Islands in April 2025, up 7.9 percent from April 2024. Total visitor spending measured in nominal dollars was $1.69 billion, which was growth of 9.4 percent from April 2024 ....

... This adjustment reflects the impact of tariffs on international imports, a slowdown in tourism, persistent consumer inflation and increasing uncertainty in both national and international economic policy ....

... tax "may have invited a legal storm" ....

... Senate Bill 1396 increases the TAT rate by 0.75% beginning in 2026 and levies, for the first time, the TAT on cruise ships that port in the state ....

... could potentially open up a huge legal can of worms based on historical layers of fraud, mislabeling and mishandling of so-called "Ag" land ....

"Federal courts (including the Supreme Court) have consistently ruled for over a century that fees or taxes imposed on vessels by non-federal entities are prohibited."

... There were 903,891 visitors to the Hawaiian Islands in March 2025, up 3.0 percent from the same month last year ....

... The Nature Conservancy (TNC) renewed Hawai‘i’s coral reef insurance policy for 2025 with Munich Re Group. TNC initially purchased the policy in 2022, the first in the U.S., to fund rapid coral reef repair and restoration ....

... At this time, no new CUPs will be issued ....

... In addition to the TAT-related bills — HB504 and SB1396 — our state legislators also are considering a big tax increase — via HB202 — on all Hawaii businesses through a stealthy redefining of what is considered an adequate reserve fund of the state's unemployment insurance program ....

... Beginning May 7, 2025, every air traveler 18 years of age and older must have a Real ID-compliant driver’s license or state-issued identification card to board domestic flights and enter some federal buildings ....

"...Parker Executive Search, the national firm assisting UH Mānoa with the search, is actively recruiting top candidates from across the country...."

... the policy could also reduce visitor spending by nearly $900 million annually, resulting in job and income losses, declining property values and an estimated $60 million drop in county property tax revenues ....

... the bills replace the current 10.25% tax rate with a blank ....

... In February 2025, the average daily census of 20,686 Canadian visitors decreased from February 2024 (20,977 visitors, -1.4%) ....

... For the third year in a row, Hawaii policymakers are considering a bill that suggests they believe tourists are an endless source of funds ....

... The state must now open the historic Haleakala Trail for public access, putting an end to a decade-long fight for it to be declared a public right of way ....

... rising poverty rates, persistent displacement, and limited job opportunities continue to hinder full economic recovery ....