LIHU‘E — A sizzling start in the first quarter has visitor spending on track to best last year’s record-setting total of $2.76 billion on the island of Kaua‘i.
Total visitor spending surged to $719.4 million in the three-month period ended March 31, compared with $660.9 million in the three-month period ended March 31, 2023, and $481.9 million in the three-month period ended March 31, 2019.
That marked increases of 8.8 percent and 49.3 percent, respectively, according to a monthly report from the state of Hawai‘i Department of Business, Economic Development &Tourism (DBEDT).
The jump in spending came amid a slight increase in the number of visitors, which settled at 331,311 in the first quarter. That was up 0.4 percent from 330,090 in the first quarter of 2023, but down 0.6 percent from 333,462 in the first quarter of pre-pandemic 2019.
Across the Hawaiian Island chain, visitor spending was up on O‘ahu and Hawai‘i Island, but down on Maui.
Visitor spending on O‘ahu inched up to $2.17 billion in the first quarter from $2.11 billion in the first quarter of 2023, and from $1.98 billion in the first quarter of 2019. That marked gains of 2.8 percent and 9.4 percent, respectively.
Visitor spending on Hawai‘i Island leaped to $854.2 million in the first quarter from $741.1 million in the first quarter of 2023 and from $646.4 in the first quarter of 2019. That marked increases of 15.3 percent and 32.2 percent, respectively.
Visitor spending on Maui sank in the three-month period ended March 31, as the island economy continues to recover from a series of wildfires on Aug. 8, 2023, including the deadly Lahaina Fire.
Total visitor spending weighed in at $1.42 billion in the first quarter, compared with $1.79 billion in the first quarter of 2023 and $1.33 billion in the first quarter of 2019. That marked a decrease of 20.7 percent and an increase of 6.4 percent, respectively.
Overall, visitor spending measured $5.22 billion in the first quarter, compared with $5.37 billion in the first quarter of 2023 and $4.49 billion in the first quarter of 2019. That marked a drop of 2.7 percent and an increase of 16.3 percent, respectively.
