Hawaii’s Expenditures Up Nearly $175 Million for First Five Months of Year

The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) recently announced that visitor spending appears to be trending up for 2014. 

During the first five months of this year, expenditures increased three percent to $6.1 billion or $174 million more into the state’s economy, says Mike McCartney, president and CEO of the HTA.

That equates to $19 million more in state tax revenue for the year so far, he says, noting he also anticipates a strong summer season for Hawaii’s tourism economy supported by increased air seat inventory through September.

“While the neighbor islands are faring well, we would like to see greater distribution across all of the Hawaiian Islands to help balance the growth of our tourism economy,” he says in a written release. “This will help us to ensure the long-term sustainability of our industry, where there is the capacity to accommodate visitors.”

The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) has revalidated the data for the monthly visitor statistics report for 2013 and January through May 2014. 

This was done as part of the HTA’s normal process of refining data from the previous year. It was also necessary due to a complaint that an employee of one of our research contractors may have submitted invalid survey data. 

The data in question has resulted in an adjustment to visitor expenditures on the island of Maui between June 2013 and May 2014, which prompted adjustments to statewide visitor spending.
 
This matter is currently under review by the State Attorney General’s office, the HTA, as well as the HTA’s contractor, says McCartney.
 
“The delayed release of the May 2014 visitor statistics report allowed us to gather input and collaborate with other research firms to ensure the accuracy of the data,” he said, “and we are confident that the numbers released are valid.”

Visit www.hawaiitourismauthority.org and www.gohawaii.com.