Maui visitor arrivals, spending highlight need for continued support statewide

The State Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism released its September 2023 visitor statistics report on Monday, demonstrating the continuing impacts of the Maui wildfires.

On Maui, visitor arrivals declined 57.1% in September 2023 compared to September 2022, with visitor spending also down significantly by 52.6% to $203.2 million. Statewide, total visitor spending declined by 9.6% to $1.37 billion, with 7.4% fewer visitors during September.

Year-to-date, total visitor spending throughout the Hawaiian Islands was $15.79 billion, up from $13.30 billion (+18.7%) in the first nine months of 2019 prior to the pandemic, with a 6.5% decline in visitor arrivals.

As visitors make plans to return to Maui, the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority is sharing newly created videos featuring messages from residents and information on how to travel with respect and compassion to support the community’s healing.

In addition, the County of Maui recently launched the Kōkua for Maui program, and the MauiNuiFirst.com website with listings of local businesses and events that visitors can support.

“Our work continues during this crisis to stimulate mindful visitation from the US and Canada, Maui’s historically largest markets, with targeted programs maximizing the additional Maui recovery funding that was approved by the HTA board of directors,” the HTA reports.

More information on September 2023 visitor statistics is available here.