On any given day last month, there were an average of 91,000 visitors in Hawaii
HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Beaches are crowded and hotels are filling up, but tourism arrivals aren’t anywhere near pre-pandemic levels.
Spring break triggered a wave of visitors to the islands.
But in February, tourism was still down about 70% from the year before, according to a new report from the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
HTA said that about 235,200 visitors traveled to Hawaii in February compared to 828,000 visitors in February 2020. The authority found that the average daily census showed there were 90,700 visitors in Hawaii on any given day in February 2021, compared to 250,000 visitors per day in February 2020.
According to the report, most visitors were from the US West and East coasts.
Meanwhile, the report showed that visitors spent roughly $385 million in February, which represents an average of $13.8 million per day. That’s compared to $50.3 million per day in February 2020.
Officials say visitor arrivals continue to increase.
On Wednesday, a total of 18,739 people arrived in Hawaii from out of state. Some 12,728 people indicated they came to Hawaii for vacation and 1,764 were returning residents.
The state expects travel to the islands to ramp up again during the summer months.
To accommodate for an increase in travelers, the state is working to streamline its Safe Travels programs so that those who qualify can bypass airport screenings.
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