#Hawaii Tourism Authority

In alignment with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the mandatory self-quarantine period for individuals arriving in the Hawaiian Islands who are not fully vaccinated or do not have a negative pre-travel test result has been reduced from 10 days to five days, effective yesterday, Jan. 3, 2022.

Maui County had the largest vacation rental supply of all four counties in November, with 189,300 available unit nights (-15.6% vs. 2020, -37.8% vs. 2019), according to the Hawaiʻi Vacation Rental Performance Report issued by the Hawai.i Tourism Authority.

Maui County hotels led the state in November 2021 with average daily rate of $531, revenue per available room at $347 and occupancy at 65%, according to the latest Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

A Hawaiʻi nonprofit that partners with Cornell University to help high school students prepare for the workforce looks for sponsors for the spring semester, after experiencing a record number of certifications this fall.

Unit demand for Maui County vacation rentals during October 2021 was down nearly 50% from the same month in 2019, before the pandemic struck, according to the latest Hawai’i Vacation Rental Performance Report by the Hawai’i Tourism Authority.

Maui County hotels occupancy for October 2021 was 60.3%, which is 16.1 percentage points lower than pre-pandemic October 2019, according to the latest Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority.

Most visitors (81%) rated their trip as “Excellent;” visitor satisfaction has remained relatively stable over the course of the year with a slight dip in the prior survey conducted in June 2021.

The University of Hawaiʻi Warriors football team is set to square off against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Rebels at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 13. The UH Alumni Association in partnership with The Hawaiian Islands are encouraging fans to come support the UH Warriors with “Weekend in Las Vegas” events to cheer Hawaiʻi’s team on to victory.

The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority announced today that T. Ilihia Gionson, a longtime public affairs and community engagement professional from Hawaiʻi Island, will join the organization as public affairs officer. He begins work at HTA on Nov. 1. 

Residents of Maui, Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi are invited to join HTA and the Maui Visitors and Convention Bureau at the upcoming Maui Nui Destination Management Action Plan community meetings to share their views on tourism’s future direction for each island.

Tourists to the Hawaiian Islands in September 2021 spent $1.05 billion, 15.4% less than visitors spent prior to the global COVID-19 pandemic in September 2019, according to preliminary visitor statistics released by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT).

For September 2021, the demand for Maui County vacation rentals was 138,400 unit nights, down 39 percent from September two years ago, before COVID-19 became a global pandemic, according to the latest Hawai’i Vacation Rental Performance Report from the Hawai’i Tourism Authority.

Maui County hotels’ average daily rate has soared to $488, which is up 54% from pre-pandemic September 2019, according to a new Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority report.

“There is a lot of potential for economic diversity here on Maui, especially with agriculture and value added products,” said Donovan Dela Cruz, Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “We’re going to have to come up with a strategic plan on how we develop our education system so that we can create a skilled workforce, specifically for agriculture pipelines and value added pipelines.”

The Senate Committee on Ways and Means will be traveling to Maui on Oct. 18-20, 2021 to conduct site visits at various state and private facilities.  

A total of 722,393 visitors arrived by air service to the Hawaiian Islands in August 2021, down 22% from the arrivals in August 2019. The loss of visitors primarily is from Japan (down 98.1% vs. August 2019), Canada (down 78.5% vs. August 2019) and other international markets (down 82.1% vs. August 2019).

The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority is resuming its Community Enrichment Program, which supports community-based projects, festivals and events that enhance resident and visitor experiences, and create opportunities for meaningful economic development.

The Maui Visitors and Convention Bureau is seeking nonprofit organizations on Maui, Moloka‘i and Lāna‘i, to take part in the statewide Mālama Hawai‘i program. The initiative aims to inspire mindful travel, while encouraging visitors to give back to the destination.

Although unit demand for vacation rentals in Maui County was 26% less in August 2021 than August 2019, occupancy rates were nearly the same at around 75% due to the decrease in supply, according to a Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority report.

Maui County hotels revenue per available room, known as RevPAR, was $439 for August 2021, a 43.6% increase from pre-pandemic August 2019, according to the latest Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority’s Hawaiʻi hotel Performance Report.