Hawaii September Visitor Spending Falls 9% to $1.41 Billion as Two Hurricanes Hit Kauai
Preliminary statistics released October 29 by Hawaii's Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) show that visitor spending in September 2026 totaled $1.41 billion, down 9.0 percent from a year earlier, while arrivals fell 3.6 percent to 672,990, from 697,986 in September 2025.
Weather drove much of the decline. Hurricane Lowell passed the islands September 6-8, causing heavy damage, especially on Kauai, along with flight cancellations and missed cruise port calls, and Hurricane Nolo skirted south of the state late in the month, hampering Lowell's cleanup. Average length of stay shortened from 8.25 days to 7.39 days, and the daily visitor census dropped 13.7 percent to 165,770. Daily spending per person, however, rose 5.4 percent to $283.
By market, arrivals from the U.S. West fell 1.4 percent to 344,176 with spending of $674.0 million; the U.S. East sent 161,854 visitors, down 1.3 percent, spending $403.1 million; Japan fell 8.1 percent to 67,527 visitors and $102.7 million; Canada fell 4.6 percent to 16,177 and $38.5 million; and other international markets dropped 16.3 percent to 65,783. Transpacific flights numbered 4,439, up 0.1 percent, while available seats fell 1.3 percent to 969,292.
DBEDT Director James Kunane Tokioka said recovery on Kauai is underway. The state, through DBEDT, is funding business recovery grants administered by the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, offering $5,000 and $10,000 grants to non-agricultural small businesses and nonprofits affected by the storms.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 威基基海滩日落（资料图）。CC BY 2.0，Alan Light摄，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Sunset at Waikiki Beach (file photo). CC BY 2.0, by Alan Light, via Wikimedia Commons.
