LIHU‘E — Visitor spending broke through the $200 million barrier in February for the second time, in turn setting a new high for the month on the island of Kaua‘i.
Total visitor spending weighed in at $234.0 million in February, compared with $203.8 million in February 2023 and $152.8 million in pre-pandemic February 2019.
That represented increases of 14.8 percent and 53.1 percent, respectively, according to a monthly report from the state of Hawai‘i Department of Business, Economic Development &Tourism (DBEDT).
The spending gains came amid a modest increase in the number of visitors, which rose to 108,825 in February from 100,525 in February 2023 and 104,445 in February 2019. That represented increases of 8.25 percent and 4.19 percent, respectively, in the period.
Across the Hawaiian Island chain visitor spending was up on O‘ahu and Hawai‘i Island, but well off on Maui whose economy continues to recover from the wildfires on Aug. 8, 2023.
Visitor spending on O‘ahu jumped to $681.1 million in February from $626.6 million in February 2023 and $609.0 million in February 2019. That marked gains of 8.80 percent and 11.83 percent, respectively, in the period.
Visitor spending on Hawai‘i Island vaulted to $272.8 million in February from $244.1 million in February 2023 and $192.3 million in February 2019. That marked increases of 11.75 percent and 41.86 percent, respectively, in the period.
Visitor spending on Maui sank to $433.1 million in February from $540.1 million in February 2023, but was up from $413.2 million in February 2019. That marked a decrease of 17.95 percent and an increase of 7.23 percent, respectively.
Overall, visitor spending inched up to $1.66 billion across the Hawaiian Islands in February from $1.64 billion in February 2023 and $1.39 billion in February 2019.
Total visitors came in at 772,480 in February, compared with 753,750 in February 2023 and 780,827 in February 2019.
“The visitor statistics indicate that our tourism industry continues to be soft. The main reasons for the weakness include the continued impact of the Maui wildfires and the shift of the U.S. and Canadian visitors to other international destinations due to currency appreciation,” said DBEDT Director James Kunane Tokioka in a statement.
“The currency situation is expected to improve when the Federal Reserve starts to cut interest rates during the second half of 2024.”
