It’s the backbone of Hawaii’s economy.
Visitors spent $1.4 billion in January, which is much higher than $77 million the same time last year.
So when the tourism industry does well, Hawaii residents reap the benefits.
Ask almost any tourist why they’re here, and they’ll tell you:
"Visit, and have fun and spend some money here," said Kathy from Las Vegas.
It’s the last part of that answer, that has the tourism industry smiling.
"We’re very fortunate that Hawaii continues to have positive momentum," said Mike McCartney, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
In January, visitor spending rose nearly 6% from last year. In fact, tourists spent more than $46 million a day. Not only does that help support the hundreds of thousands of residents who work in the tourism industry, but also:
"It brings in about $1.5 billion in state taxes. That money goes to pay teachers, it goes to pay lifeguards, it goes to pay all the government services that we have," McCartney said.
He said we are all affected by the tourism growth. It allows to live in Hawaii, and also enjoy it as a visitor. Even though there’s a boost in visitor arrivals and spending, there’s still plenty of room for residents. Hotels are only at 70% occupancy. And just because tourists are spending money, that doesn’t mean you won’t find good deals.
"That’s a big part of our hotel business, is our kamaaina and our local people. We want people to travel from the Neighbor Islands to Oahu. We want Oahu to travel to the Neighbor Islands," said George Szigeti with the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Assoc.
And speaking of travel, a healthy tourism market, also gives us more vacation options.
"We have 954 flights per week from 53 different cities around the world, 20 different airlines. That allows us to travel around the world," McCartney said.
While those in the industry are happy with the growth, they’re not taking it for granted. They say it’s important to show visitors how special the state is, so they keep coming back for more.
"It’s a lot of fun to come out here and see the beach. It’s wonderful climate this type of the year, especially between January and April. What a great place to be," a visitor said.
See the original article at: KHON2 Developing Stories
