""When someone calls and the first thing they ask is, 'What's the lowest price you can get me?' I'm very upfront," he said. "I tell them, 'If price is your number one priority, we may not be the right fit.' Because Hawaii isn't meant to be treated like a bargain bin purchase. It deserves respect, intention, and the right kind of traveler.""
""In 2019, visitors to Hawaii spent about $196 per person per day statewide. After travel resumed in 2021, that average rose to roughly $215 per day, with far fewer visitors," Caroline Anderson, interim president and CEO of Hawaii Tourism Authority, told SFGATE in an email. "From 2022 through 2024, daily spending stayed consistently high - between $230 and $250 per person per day," she continued. "And in 2025 to date, it's averaging around $250 statewide, with Maui and Lanai exceeding $300.""
Visitor spending in Hawaii rose to $10.95 billion in the first half of 2025, up from $8.86 billion in the first half of 2019. Per-person daily spending increased from about $196 in 2019 to roughly $215 in 2021, then stayed between $230 and $250 from 2022 through 2024, and averaged around $250 statewide in 2025 so far, with Maui and Lanai exceeding $300. The spending rise is driven largely by higher lodging costs and overall price increases, with lodging the largest expense followed by food and beverage, shopping, entertainment, and transportation. Hawaii is prioritizing attracting fewer, respectful, higher-spending visitors who invest back into the islands.
Read at SFGATE
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