#economy

Incumbent Mayor Richard Bissen and County Council Vice Chair Yuki Lei Sugimura both say they would prioritize housing, affordability and keeping locals from moving away, but they differ on how.

Maui County mayoral candidate Yuki Lei Sugimura has earned the endorsement of the Chamber of Maui Political Action Committee (COMPAC), the non-partisan, non-sectarian committee that handles the candidate endorsement process for the Maui Chamber of Commerce.

“The July 2026 visitor counts represent an 83.4% recovery when compared to pre-wildfire July 2023 with 297,082 visitors,” said DBEDT Director James Kunane Tokioka. “For the first seven months of 2026, there were 1,618,051 visitors on Maui, a 7.7% growth compared to year-to-date 2025, but 9.8% lower than the same period before the wildfires.”

A new report by the University of Hawai’i found improvements in housing stability but less progress in the overall economy.

The 8,495-square-foot, seven-bedroom home is one of the only things Murdock held on to when he sold 98% of the island to Larry Ellison in 2012.

More than $20 million worth of projects are left to be completed at the harbor, including work on the piers and dinghy dock that cost $8 million and are expected to start this year.

Hawaiʻi  welcomed slightly fewer visitors in April 2026 than it did a year earlier, but those who came spent more—pushing total visitor spending to $1.77 billion for the month, a 4.8% increase over April 2025, according to preliminary data from the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

Wildfire survivors in Maui County can expect to receive settlement money for the first time this year. However, economists say the payments won’t make most families whole, especially as higher electricity bills and gas prices intensify pressure on households still rebuilding their lives.

Japanese visitors have been drawn more to Waikīkī than to Maui’s resorts, and a new state report calls for changing that by rebuilding and diversifying Japanese visitor demand.

The proposal would create automatic annual rate increases for the two state-regulated water carriers, Young Brothers and the Lāna‘i Expeditions ferry.

Hawai’i gas prices reached a record high this week, and Moloka’i saw some of the highest rates, recently surpassing $7 a gallon in what some say is a first in their lifetime.

Nan Inc., which purchased the mill and about 300 surrounding acres in 2024, hopes to turn the old plantation infrastructure into an area for businesses and light industrial use — and potentially housing in the future.

Hawai‘i residents can expect a steady but slower economic climb this year as high construction demand and robust visitor spending help shield the islands from broader global headwinds.

The resort finally got tentative approval to add 137 new rooms but must meet over 30 conditions related to water, traffic and protection of potential burials.

The Bissen 2026 Campaign announced that the Ironworkers Stabilization Fund and Iron Workers Union Local 625 have formally endorsed the re-election of Mayor Richard Bissen. The Hawaiʻi Government Employees Association, the largest public-sector union in Hawai‘i, also announced its endorsement of Mayor Richard Bissen in his 2026 re-election campaign.

Yuki Lei Sugimura, Maui County Council Vice-Chair and holder of the Upcountry residency seat, has officially pulled papers to campaign for Mayor of Maui County.

The Paia Inn and several other properties owned by Michael Baskin were listed in a bankruptcy auction slated for March. However, a trustee appointed to the case last week said it’s yet to be determined whether the properties will be sold or if there would be a reorganization.

A new report shows Hawaiʻi’s wages and productivity have lagged the rest of the country for more than three decades, placing the state among the most economically distressed in the U.S.

Farmers and ranchers say prices have gone up after a year of Trump’s tariffs, making their operations even more costly on an island where everything has to be shipped or flown in.

A lagging economy will mean a tighter budget and tougher choices for lawmakers as the Legislature opens today.