Against a backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, Maui Mayor Michael Victorino released his $870-million county budget proposal last week. It includes a number of measures that Victorino said were responses to the impacts of COVID-19, such as $10 million allocated for countywide costs to “help eliminate COVID-19” and $3.8 million to replenish the Emergency Fund. Also part of … [Read more...] about Mayor’s Budget Boosts Tourism: Is it the Best Way to Recover from COVID-19?
tourism
Massive Drop in Arriving Passengers to Hawaii
Passengers arriving in the Hawaiian Islands dropped 87% from this time last year, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority. "On March 24, [2020] 4,131 people arrived in Hawai‘i, most of them residents," HTA President and CEO Chris Tatum told "tourism leaders" in a letter Wednesday. "In comparison, on that same day one year ago, 32,330 passengers arrived in Hawai‘i." Tatum … [Read more...] about Massive Drop in Arriving Passengers to Hawaii
Few Tourists Expected, Firm on Six Stories, Says Jonathan Starr of Hotel Wailuku at Event Sponsored by Hotel Wailuku
The Hotel Wailuku is not expected to cater to tourists and is unlikely to be reduced from its planned six-story height, said landowner and Hotel Wailuku developer Jonathan Starr at a Feb. 13 Akaku Salon sponsored by Hotel Wailuku. Following Akaku CEO Jay April’s sycophantic introduction of Jonathan Starr and Helen Nielsen (which notably excluded Starr’s role in the unauthorized … [Read more...] about Few Tourists Expected, Firm on Six Stories, Says Jonathan Starr of Hotel Wailuku at Event Sponsored by Hotel Wailuku
Tourism Group Releases Recommendations for County, Mayor Says He Will Act Within 60 Days
There were 273,786 visitor arrivals to Maui during the month of August, an increase of 11.3 percent compared to last year. The data, compiled by the Hawaii Tourism Authority in its monthly visitor statistics report, was published on Sep. 26 – the same day that Mayor Michael Victorino held a press conference to endorse the recommendations of his fact-finding Tourism Group. Led … [Read more...] about Tourism Group Releases Recommendations for County, Mayor Says He Will Act Within 60 Days
Speaking of a Tourism ‘Tipping Point,’ Community Members Urge Action
Sitting outside Council Chambers in the late afternoon, Councilmember Shane Sinenci expressed disappointment. It was a rare moment for the usually cheerful councilmember, who hours prior was hopeful of passing a resolution out of the Environmental, Agricultural, and Cultural Preservation Committee he chairs. The resolution, as currently written, would require Mayor Victorino’s … [Read more...] about Speaking of a Tourism ‘Tipping Point,’ Community Members Urge Action