Strong January masks Hawaii’s uneven tourism outlook

Strong January masks Hawaii’s uneven tourism outlook

Hawaii opened 2026 with its strongest January since the pandemic, but the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization’s new first‑quarter forecast underscores how uneven the tourism economy remains despite the strong gains. Visitor spending jumped 19% to $2.26 billion and arrivals rose 10.4% to 874,358, driven almost entirely by powerful U.S. West and U.S. East markets that have now pushed the state past pre‑­pandemic benchmarks, accordi…