#visitor industry

Registration is open for the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority’s 2026 Hawai‘i Tourism Conference, a gathering of Hawai‘i’s hospitality professionals, stewards of natural resources and community tourism initiatives, government officials and visitor industry leaders. The conference will be Sept. 24-25 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikīkī Beach Resort on O‘ahu. This year’s theme, “Ke Kahu o ka […]

The Hawaiʻi Visitors and Convention Bureau announces the appointment of Elizabeth “Liz” Loomis as vice president of island integration and operations, effective 4 May 2026. The new position is designed to deepen collaboration across HVCB’s offices on Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Maui, and Hawai‘i Island, strengthening the integration of island perspectives into the statewide strategy. 

The Hawai‘i Lodging and Tourism Association announced that its President and Chief Executive Officer, Mufi Hannemann, will be retiring from his role following years of dedicated service to the organization and Hawai‘i’s visitor industry.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa School of Travel Industry Management is celebrating its 60th anniversary with plans to continue teaching future leaders in travel and hospitality.

University of Hawaiʻi economist Carl Bonham warned Maui County Council members Wednesday that a stagnant job market and a precarious reliance on wealthy tourists leave the county vulnerable as it begins annual budget deliberations.

The community is invited to attend the 2026 State of the County Address, which will be presented by Mayor Richard T. Bissen, Jr. from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 5, at Maui Arts and Cultural Center’s Castle Theater. Doors open at 4 p.m.

Hawai‘i public high school seniors graduating in 2026 with an interest in tourism management can apply for the Hawai‘i Tourism Ho‘oilina Scholarship, a four-year scholarship providing $12,000 a year toward a Bachelor of Science in travel industry management at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Shidler College of Business.

The Maui Hotel & Lodging Association honored the generosity of the island’s visitor industry and community Friday at a special reception breakfast held at the Westin Maui Resort & Spa. The event celebrated the 46th Annual Maui County Charity Walk, where a record-breaking total of $1,758,242.31 was distributed to 76 nonprofit organizations. This year’s fundraising […]

Maui’s economy will only gradually recover from its post-wildfire downturn while visitor industries in other counties across the state will continue to operate at high levels, according to the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization’s (UHERO) third quarter forecast for 2024.

Kyle Kawakami, chef and owner of the food truck Maui Fresh Streatery, is featured in a new Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau destination campaign titled “The People. The Place. The Hawaiian Islands.”

Dr. Aaron J. Salā was selected as the Hawai‘i Visitors & Convention Bureau’s new President and CEO, effective Sept. 1.

The Hulihia Center for Sustainable Systems seeks community input as they launch their new project focused on advancing the sustainable development of the tourism industry across Maui Nui. 

The Visitor Industry and Maui Hotel & Lodging Association responded to requests from Maui County and the American Red Cross for emergency assistance items for the communities of Kīpahulu and Kaupō. The rockslide occurrence on May 11 left these areas inaccessible and in need of life-saving equipment during times when emergency services response is delayed.

There were 228,743 visitors to Maui in January 2023, up nearly 25% from the 183,278 visitors who arrived in January 2022, and down -2% from the 233,422 visitors who came in January 2019.

The Surfrider Foundation Maui Chapter today launched a new campaign called “Rise Above Plastics On Vacation.” Partnering with vacation rentals, the goal is to provide alternatives to single use plastic water bottles as a filtered form of water for those vacationing on Maui.

The University of Hawaiʻi’s Community Colleges on Maui and Kauaʻi are offering Customer Service and Professional Tour Guide certification programs to Hawaiʻi’s tourism industry through its Offices of Continuing Education.

Timeshare properties in Maui County averaged a 95.6% occupancy rate for the first quarter of 2018. By comparison, hotel properties averaged an 80.2% occupancy.

For a second year, the Maui Hotel & Lodging Association’s 39th Annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk raised more than a million dollars for 112 charity organi…

We are on track to see more than 9 million visitors this year, and we expect to see our construction industry accelerate our economic growth.

Hawaii’s tourism economy continues to growing following another strong month of visitor arrivals and spending in February.