Hawaii Visitor Spending Fell 9% to $1.41 Billion in September, State Agency Announced October 29
Hawaii's Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) released preliminary September 2026 visitor statistics in Honolulu on October 29: total visitor spending for the month was $1.41 billion, down 9.0 percent from September 2025, and total arrivals were 672,990, down 3.6 percent from 697,986 a year earlier.
At the same time, visitors spent an average of $283 per person per day, up 5.4 percent year on year, but the average length of stay shortened to 7.39 days from 8.25 days in September 2025. The statewide average daily visitor census was 165,770, down 13.7 percent from 191,994 a year earlier.
The department cited weather factors: from September 6 to 8, Hurricane Lowell passed close to the Hawaiian Islands, bringing strong winds, severe flooding and power outages and causing extensive damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure on Kauai; flight cancellations, reroutings and delays affected visitors arriving by air, and many cruise visitors could not call at all scheduled ports. In late September, Hurricane Nolo skirted south of the islands, and its large outer rainbands brought heavy rain to Kauai, slowing cleanup after Lowell.
The department said the figures are preliminary and that visitor spending is measured in nominal dollars. The September decline came as the visitor industry was still absorbing the effects of successive storms, and the release offered no forecast for October.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 檀香山市夏威夷州议会大厦 / The Hawaii State Capitol in Honolulu. Photo: Daniel Ramirez, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
