Haleakalā Visitors Generated $69.8 Million for Maui Economy in 2017

Tourism to Haleakalā National Park on Maui generated millions for the local economy, according to a National Park Service Report.

Centennial sunrise. Photo credit: Tad Craig

The report shows that in 2017, 1.1 million park visitors spent an estimated $69.8 million in the local gateway region while visiting Haleakalā National Park. These expenditures supported a total of 819 jobs, $32 million in labor income, $56 million in value added and $89 million in economic output in economies surrounding the park.

Statewide, 6 million visitors to all national park units in Hawai`i spent more than $400 million in the state last year. That spending resulted in nearly 4,890 jobs and had a cumulative benefit to the state economy of $526 million.

Nationally, the report shows $18.2 billion of direct spending by more than 330 million park visitors in
communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 306,000 jobs nationally;
255,900 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S.
economy was $35.8 billion.

“We are delighted to provide economic benefits to our local communities while sharing the story and
experiences of this special place,” said Superintendent Natalie Gates.

The peer-reviewed 2017 Visitor Spending Effects report was researched and developed by economists
Catherine Cullinane Thomas of the U.S. Geological Survey and Lynne Koontz of the National Park Service.

An interactive tool for exploring the report is available at the NPS Social Science Program webpage.