The Hawaii Division of Enterprise, Financial Growth and Tourism (DBEDT) launched its fourth-quarter “2022 Financial and Statistical Report” on Wednesday, revealing details about the tourism element of the state’s present and forecast financial situation.
Surprisingly, he claims that the Aloha State can keep away from any fallout from subsequent yr’s financial downturn that’s projected to hit the US in 2023.
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Regardless of the worldwide financial downturn, the DBEDT report says that the present and persevering with energy of Hawaii’s home tourism demand, mixed with the gradual return of worldwide guests, will more than likely defend it from the unfavorable impacts of any impending recession.
In its fourth-quarter forecast, DBEDT left the state’s financial progress projections for the rest of 2022 and 2023 that have been made within the third quarter unchanged, regardless of a downward revision for the broader U.S. economic system. Whereas US financial progress in 2022 is anticipated to be 1.eight p.c and simply zero.2 p.c in 2023, Hawaii’s progress is anticipated to be 2.6 p.c by 2022 and 1.7 p.c by 2023.
“Since DBEDT’s final financial forecast in August of this yr, the state’s economic system has remained sturdy, with enhancements in main indicators,” mentioned Mike McCartney, director of DBEDT.

Hawaii Journey Business Restoration
As 2022 attracts to an in depth, vacationer arrivals on the Large Island, Maui and Kauai have already rebounded to 95 p.c of what they have been earlier than the 2019 pandemic, exceeding all earlier expectations. The Beat of Hawaii famous that solely Oahu has been gradual to see a return to regular, with lower than 80 p.c of 2019 ranges. Traditionally, about half of vacationer arrivals to Oahu have come from different international locations, and the variety of worldwide guests stays low.
Within the first 10 months of 2022, the state acquired a complete of seven.6 million vacationer arrivals, which is equal to 88.6% of the amount of tourists noticed throughout the identical interval of 2019. There have been 13.eight% extra US guests than the identical interval in 2019, however worldwide arrivals have been solely 38.1 p.c of what they have been in that pre-pandemic period.
Whereas arrival numbers are nonetheless barely under the pre-pandemic norm, vacationer spending within the first 10 months of 2022 truly grew eight.5 p.c over the identical interval in 2019. He forecasts that customer spending in December and January can also be more likely to be at or close to all-time highs.
The state predicts that by the tip of this month, the entire variety of guests to Hawaii will attain 9.three million, up from 10.three million in 2019.
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