Tourism

Maui County's Committee on Housing and Land Use is in the midst of listening to nearly 200 testifiers signed up to voice their opinions on a proposal that would phase out about 7,000 transient vacation rentals. HPR's Catherine Cluett-Pactol has more.

Bill 47 is a partial revival of a set of measures that failed last year that would have overhauled zoning and operational laws on “transient vacation rentals” in the County of Hawaiʻi.

Keith Regan, the state comptroller at the Department of Accounting and General Services, has been tasked with taking over the project of fixing a leaky roof at the large events venue.

The lava flows remained quiet at Kīlauea on Tuesday morning, but recent spectacular eruptions have highlighted a new challenge. As the summer visitor season gets into full swing, changes are on the way to solve traffic gridlock. HPR contributor Betsy Brown has more from Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island.

The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism released its most recent forecast on Hawaii’s economy, highlighting the volatility of federal-level actions, a lagging tourism industry and inflation as the drivers of the worsening economy.

Gov. Josh Green has signed what’s being called the “Green Fee” into law. It raises the state’s transient accommodations tax by 0.75 percentage points, bringing it to 11%, to drum up funds to go toward climate resilience. HPR's Ashley Mizuo reports.

Sewer fees are expected to more than double over the next ten years to pay for a federally mandated upgrade to the city’s wastewater treatment plant. Council Chair Tommy Waters explained that the measure is one way to offset those costs.

A developer is foreclosing on a large property near Punaluʻu Bay on Hawaiʻi Island, stalling plans for a luxury resort. The property will now go up for sale at public auction.

Dubbed "Akamai Arrival," the project aims to figure out how compliance in filling out the forms changes if passengers receive them digitally instead of via paper on the plane.

Bill 47 is a renewed effort by some council members to reform what the measure calls “transient vacation rentals,” or short-term rentals offered on sites like Airbnb and Vrbo.