tourism

The visitor industry remains one of Hawaii’s key economic engines, but what about the future? One need is to continue to develop a tourism workforce, and that was a goal of a program this month involving more than a thousand high school students on four islands.

Ten million visitors a year may be a goal for some, but it’s an overwhelming number for others. Hotel executive and tourism marketing experts sat down with Pacific Business News to talk about their current challenges and opportunities.

Hawaiʻi visitors can now buy medical marijuana while on vacation in the islands. The state Health Department announced it is offering temporary cannabis cards to qualified out-of-state patients. 

Long-time hotel executive Christopher Tatum is the new head of the Hawaii Tourism Authority. He’s got some plans for a new direction.

Visitor spending in Hawai‘i increased nearly 7-percent last year. It grew even faster in China, but that was the slowest growth in a decade. And when it comes to Chinese headed overseas, the figures tell a different story.

Many countries tax tourists when they leave. The United States has done it for years — including international visitors leaving Hawaii. But in one Asian country, this is the first week for that practice.

Visitor spending in Hawaii so far this year is running about 9-percent ahead of last year’s pace. But tourism is growing even faster in one of the main sources of Hawaii’s visitors: Japan.

Vivid images of volcanic eruptions captured the world’s attention this year, but frightened off visitors. 

An experiment in tourism continues this week in the Philippines. The government closed one of its most popular beaches for six months to clean up the area and reduce the capacity for visitors. Now the beach is open again, but not everything is going as planned. 

It’s still too early to determine what impacts the Marriott hotel strike may have on tourism in Hawai‘i. That may be one challenge for the new leader of the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, expected to be named soon. On the other side of the Pacific, there’s a different sort of challenge for tourism.

Visitor spending and arrivals are up across the islands compared to a year ago. That includes visitors from most markets in the Asia Pacific. And residents in one of those countries are setting records for foreign travel.

August was another month of growth for the state’s tourism industry, but only slightly.

We’re a week away from the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s annual Global Tourism Summit. While the state will update its latest strategies to attract visitors, other locations are considering similar plans. And that includes the capital of South Korea.

Hawaii’s tourism industry is on track for another year of growth. Last week, the Hawaii Tourism Authority reported increased spending and visitor arrivals on every island except the Big Island. The figures are even more dramatic for another location that is expecting continued growth in tourism: Japan.

The government of New Zealand is looking at a proposal to tax its tourists. The measure would tack on an arrival charge for most international visitors, but the proceeds would go beyond well marketing.

A new economic report from the University of Hawai‘i’s Economic Research Organization takes a county-by-county look at what is shaping up to be a strong 2018.. Pacific Business News editor in chief A. Kam Napier has more.

Hawaii’s visitor industry reported another strong month in April, although any impact of the Kilauea Volcano won’t show up until the May figures come out next month. While authorities continue to encourage visitors to Hawaii, there’s another location in the Asia Pacific that is taking a different approach. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

Tourism remains one of Hawai‘i’s economic pillars. And while 2017 was another year of records, the industry faces some new challenges this year. PBN editor in chief A. Kam Napier has more from a roundtable of tourism industry executives.

2017 was another record year for tourism in Hawai‘i for the sixth year in a row. But another Pacific island destination had an even bigger year last year—thanks in part to Hawai‘i. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

Professional soccer is once again trying to find a foothold in Hawai‘i. Organizers of this week’s Pacific Rim Cup hope to make Hawai’i the international east-meets-west sporting venue. HPR’s Ku’uwehi Hiraishi reports.

Tourism is not only the center of Hawai‘i’s economy, it’s a growing part of the global economy. And while countries are figuring out the best ways to market themselves to visitors, one Asian country is coming under criticism for its latest efforts. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

The final numbers aren’t in yet, but tourism officials expect 2017 to be another record year for visitors to Hawai‘i. That would make it the sixth straight year for record growth. That closely matches another Pacific location that also continues to set tourism records. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

Japanese visitors have played an important role in driving Hawaii’s tourism numbers to new records. But since North Korea made threats about Guam this summer, Japanese travel to that Pacific island has dropped. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

The final numbers are not in yet, but expectations are that 2017 will turn out to be another record year for tourism in Hawai‘i. Conversations are continuing about balancing tourism growth with protection of natural resources around the state. But elsewhere in the Pacific, an island that likes to compare itself to Hawai‘i is making some changes. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

Last month, China told its tourist agencies to stop all flights to the Pacific island nation of Palau, in what’s believed to be a protest over a recent visit by the President of Taiwan. Chinese tourists made up more than half of Palau’s tourists last year, but, as we hear from Neal Conan in today’s Pacific News Minute, Palau doesn’t seem worried.

Most tourists come to Hawaiʻi on vacation for rest and relaxation, but there’s a popular trend in visitors coming to Hawaiʻi to volunteer their time and labor. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi steps into the world of volunteer tourism or “voluntourism.”

The state of Hawai‘i is heading for another record year for tourism. The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism expects visitor arrivals to top last year’s figure of 8.9 million—with further growth next year. But it’s been a different story for tourism this year in Korea, both South and North. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

2017 is being dubbed the Year of Sustainable Travel by the World Tourism Organization. “Sustainability” may seem like a buzzword for an industry historically known for making a profit at the expense of the local environment, culture, or community. So what makes tourism sustainable? HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi looks at a local organization setting that standard for Hawai’i’s visitor industry.