Tourism Roars Back in Hawaii But It Looks Very Different As New Challenges Surface
Photo Credit: Tourism is bouncing back to Hawaii faster than tourism officials anticipated, just as a regenerative tourism campaign launches. Hawaii Tourism Authority / Nicholas Tomasello
Skift Take
Experts say Hawaii's tourism officials are making a genuine effort to build back better, but this is where the rubber meets the road: Who will tackle Hawaii's overcrowding problem? And with legislators aiming to slash Hawaii Tourism Authority's funding and authority, how will a majority domestic tourism market impact Hawaii's travel industry?
A fragmented global tourism recovery has created the perfect storm for Hawaii to rank as one of the most in-demand destinations for American travelers this summer. It's not the slow ramp-up that the Hawaii Tourism Authority had anticipated, nor a larger reopening in the midst of a global competition for travelers.
With major source markets including Asia, Oceania and Canada still restricted to travelers in both directions, plus the flow of disposable income from federal stimulus checks and controlled pandemic in Hawaii — west and east coast U.S. travelers are flocking to the archipelago.
“Tourism is back and it’s very American,” John De Fries, CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority. “I would expect that summer in Hawaii is going to really match where we were in summer 2019; that’s a lot faster than any of us could have predicted.”
Close to a half million visitors flew to Hawaii in April, primarily from the mainland. The numbers are approaching the daily visitor aver
