Published on : Monday, June 4, 2018
With Kilauea volcano threatening to erupt, Hawaii tourism officials are of the opinion that it is nearly impossible to predict revenue generated from visitors.
As per the numbers released last week by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the state saw a 13.4 percent rise in visitor spending in April. The volcano has forced the closure of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii Island’s biggest tourist attraction, and tourists have grown apprehensive of lava and air quality.
However, in spite of that, the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization is not yet projecting a significant economic downturn state-wide.
Carl Bonham, the executive director of the organization said, “The Big Island will weather this.”
Surveys have been conducted of several lodging and activity companies, which say that bookings on Hawaii Island from June through the end of August appeared as though they could drop by half.
Several tour companies have had to change their itineraries and those that are particularly dependent on Kilauea have already been forced into layoffs.
However, officials say that impact from Kilauea may be minimal. Early numbers show U.S. market arrivals to Hawaii didn’t drop in May, but kept pace with the 25 percent year-over-year growth also witnessed in April.
Bonham said that air travel to Hawaii in general, though, is holding up well.
Tags: Hawaii Tourism