LIHU‘E — Visitor spending eclipsed the $200 million mark for the 10th straight month in October, as tourists continued to pour record sums of money into the island of Kaua‘i economy while on holiday in 2023.
Total visitor spending measured $233.2 million in October, compared with $174 million in October 2022 and $141.9 million in pre-pandemic October 2019.
That represented increases of 34.1 percent and 64.3 percent, respectively, according to a monthly report from the state of Hawai‘i Department of Business, Economic Development &Tourism (DBEDT).
The huge increases in spending were posted despite a similar number of people visiting the island. The visitor count came in at 109,337 in October, compared with 109,324 in October 2022. The visitor count was 102,662 in October 2019.
Elsewhere in the island chain, visitor spending was mixed. That was largely because of the deadly wildfire that devastated Lahaina on Aug. 8 and claimed the lives of at least 100 people and destroyed more than 2,000 structures, with many of those structures being apartments and homes. There were also a number of other wildfires on the Valley Isle on Aug. 8.
As a result, visitor spending on Maui tumbled to $326.2 million in October from $435.9 million in October 2022 and from $379.8 million in October 2019. That marked decreases of 25.2 percent and 14.1 percent, respectively.
“The effects of the Maui wildfires continued into October, impacting both visitor arrivals and spending for the third consecutive month,” said DBEDT Director James Kunane Tokioka in a statement that accompanied the monthly report. “As areas in West Maui reopened, Maui tourism showed signs of a slow recovery.”
Visitor spending on O‘ahu inched up to $673.3 million in October, compared with $668.4 million in October 2022 and from $603.8 million in October 2019. That represented increases of 0.7 percent and 11.5 percent, respectively.
Visitor spending on Hawai‘i Island climbed to $246.1 million in October from $227.9 million in October 2022 and from $177.0 million in October 2019. That marked increases of 8 percent and 39.1 percent, respectively.
Tourists continued to pour record sums of money into the island of Kaua‘i economy while on holiday in 2023. AND yet property taxes continue to rise at record levels. Locals blame tourism for everything but how about you take a look at your own lawmakers? If they were actually concerned for locals, they would take the taxes off food like several other states already have. They would ease building and property zoning so actual affordable housing could be built. Look in your own mirror and BY THE WAY, just what is all this tourism tax money being spent on? Your roads are in horrid shape, centerline stripping (which is a safety issue for drivers) isn’t done and your parks are not maintained. Well?