Hawaii tourism picking up faster than expected

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Hawaii Tourism is picking back up drastically with more than one million people flying to the islands this year compared to last. 

According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority more than one million people flew into Hawaii January and February and the numbers are only going up.

Hawaii was one of the last states to get rid of their indoor mask mandate after they got rid of their Safe Access Hawaii Program. Meaning it is now easier to buy a ticket and get to the islands for a weekend or weeklong getaway. 

In January, the Hawaii Tourism Authority recorded 567,000 people flying in, spending more than 1.3 million dollars. In February more than 623,000 people flew in, spending more than 1.2 million dollars. 

Popular tourist areas and attractions will become crowded once again like Waikiki Beach, Pearl Harbor National Memorial and International Marketplace.

Although tourists are flocking to the islands from the mainland, Hawaii has still not seen a drastic increase in international travelers. Something that could change come this summer.

According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, tourists from Canada, Europe and Japan have opted to not book their yearly Hawaii vacations since the start of the pandemic. For example, Japan saw a 98.2% decrease in tourists coming to Hawaii in February 2022 compared to February 2021. Canada saw a 54.8% decrease and Korea saw a 93.1% decrease. 

When international travelers do come around to booking their Hawaii vacations, the travel industry needs to be ready. 

The Hawaii Tourism Authority is now launching an industry survey to determine the type of job skills and training that are needed in the visitor industry. You can find more information by going to their website and filling out the survey.