Maui Business

Hawaiian Airlines is making it easy for US travelers to take an international trip this summer and beyond with a new Globetrotter sale launched today. The sale offers discounted fares for travel from Honolulu to Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti and the Cook Islands.

The Maui wildfires continue to have pronounced impacts on the economic indicators for all counties, but especially Maui County, according to new information compiled by the state Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism. The information was part of the department’s second quarter 2024 Statistical and Economic Report.

Castle Hospitality Group has named Ravi Pandey as General Manager of Castle Nāpili Surf Beach Resort and its two homeowner associations. He will be responsible for all AOAO operations as well as the Castle rental program. He will also ensure guest and homeowner satisfaction and coordinate operations and guest services, including housekeeping, maintenance and repairs.

Fitch Ratings recently affirmed the County of Maui AA+ ratings — the second highest rating a debt issuer can receive — adding that the County outlook is “stable.”

Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi has awarded grants totaling $1,491,882 to two local nonprofits and one public university to expand behavioral health care services for the houseless on Hawaiʻi Island and accelerate mental health professional training and licensure throughout the state.

American Savings Bank is proud to announce that its 2024 Kahiau Giving Campaign has raised $443,000. The charitable contribution will support five local nonprofits in their efforts to improve the quality of life for Hawaiʻi residents. More than 90% of ASB teammates participated in the annual workplace giving initiative, which began in 2011.

In Kahului, the average price of $4.84 is three cents higher than last week and one cent higher than a year ago.

The Chamber of Commerce Hawaiʻi, in collaboration with nine other diverse, statewide business organizations, hosted the Inaugural Chamber Alliance Legislative Wrap-Up and Pau Hana event at the YWCA Honolulu on May 22, 2024. State lawmakers and business leaders discussed cost of living challenges, legislative session reflections and 2025 legislative priorities.

In April 2024, Maui County had the largest vacation rental supply at 246,500 available unit nights (+4.7% vs. 2023, -4.4% vs. 2019), and Maui vacation rental unit supply continued to be impacted by the Aug. 8 wildfire. The data was included in the state Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism’s Hawaiʻi Vacation Rental Performance Report.

Four Maui businesses impacted by the fires last August were selected for three months of rent relief and a $2,000 business scholarship at the Queen Kaʻahumanu Center. As part of Pacific Retail Capital Partners and Queen Kaʻahumanu Center’s #ExtendAloha campaign to spread awareness and raise funds for the community, Maui businesses that needed help getting back on their feet were encouraged to apply for the leasing space opportunity within the center. 

A new nonprofit dedicated to in-depth reporting on Maui County issues is launching on the Valley Isle, with experienced local journalists at the helm.

A new travel gift program was announced on Wednesday, providing more than 3,000 roundtrip Alaska Airlines flights, as well as Disneyland tickets and accommodations to Maui families affected by the Aug. 8 wildfires.

Maui Health’s Chief Philanthropy Officer Melinda Sweany has been honored with the prestigious “Women Who Mean Business Award” by Pacific Business News (PBN). Sweany was recognized for her outstanding leadership at the 2024 Women Who Mean Business Award Gala, held on March 28, 2024, in Waikīkī, Oʻahu.

Maui County hotels continued to be impacted by the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires, but still led the counties in April 2024 revenue per available room (RevPAR) due to comparatively higher average daily rate (ADR), according to the Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Report, issued by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority.

The past year has brought significant shocks to the housing market in Hawaiʻi. Per the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO), overall transactions in 2023 was only half of what it was in 2021, and fewer single family homes were transacted in Hawaiʻi last year than in any of the last 25 years.

The Hawaiʻi Pacific Export Council has been awarded the District Export Council of the Year Award by the US Department of Commerce. The honor recognizes the council’s contributions to supporting US exporters in Hawaiʻi and across the US Pacific Islands through innovative and impactful initiatives.

The Maui Chamber of Commerce is now accepting nominations for the Annual Mayor’s Small Business Awards in 2024. All nominees and winners will be honored during an event on Sept. 19, 2024.

Sales and Marketing Executives Honolulu (SME Honolulu) named Chad Buck as the company’s distinguished recipient of its Salesperson of the Year award for 2023. Buck is credited as the driving force behind multiple successful enterprises, including the Hawaiʻi Foodservice Alliance; and for his community outreach including his work to bring food and aid to Maui following the Lahaina wildfires.

Hawai‘i Leadership Forum welcomed 16 local leaders into the ninth cohort of its Omidyar Fellows program. The program seeks to cultivate the conditions in which Hawai‘i thrives by equipping leaders with the skills and cross-sector relationships necessary to affect societal change.

The non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Maui Island was 4.3% in April 2024, compared to 4.9% the previous month, and 2.6% at the same time in 2023. The data was included in a new report released today from the Hawaiʻi Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.