Hawaii 24/7

MEDIA RELEASE President Obama announced the United States and the People’s Republic of China have agreed to increase the validity period of short-term visas for tourists and business travelers from one to ten years, the longest validity period possible under U.S. law. In addition, both countries agreed to extend the validity period of student and […]

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MEDIA RELEASE A new National Park Service (NPS) report for 2013 shows that the 1,583,209 visitors to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park spent $124,937,400 in communities near the park. This spending supported 1,476 jobs in the local area. “We are pleased to again report a steady annual increase of visitors to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, a […]

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MEDIA RELEASE SCHATZ ANNOUNCES FEDERAL FUNDS TO IMPROVE MONITORING OF KILAUEA U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz announced the University of Hawaii will receive a $86,462 grant from the National Science Foundation to improve monitoring of Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes. “Kilauea’s spectacular volcanic eruptions have attracted much attention over the last three decades. […]

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MEDIA RELEASE Visitors who came to Hawaii in June 2013 spent a total of $1.3 billion, an increase of 7 percent from June 2012, according to preliminary statistics released today by the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Total arrivals, which have shown continuous growth since September 2011, rose 5.5 percent to 716,577 visitors in June 2013. Daily […]

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MEDIA RELEASE The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has heard testimony from the National Park Service on the Pacific Islands Parks Act, introduced by Senator Brian Schatz. This legislation would direct the National Park Service to complete studies of three designated sites in the state of Hawaii. Schatz is a member of the Senate […]

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MEDIA RELEASE Total expenditures by visitors who came to Hawaii in June 2012 rose 20.4 percent compared to the previous year (or $207 million) to $1.2 billion1, a new record for the month of June, according to preliminary statistics released today by the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Strong growth in total arrivals (+11.5% to 677,218 visitors) […]

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MEDIA RELEASE U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka questioned Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Tuesday at a hearing of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on the Fed’s Semiannual Report to Congress. Akaka noted Hawaii posted record tourism numbers in May and that spending by foreign visitors is rising. Bernanke agreed with […]

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Statewide, national park visitors spent more than $252 million in communities near national parks, supported 3,420 jobs

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MEDIA RELEASE The Hawaii Tourism Authority has announced increased visitor spending by 19.7 percent as compared to the same time last year pumping $1 billion to our local economy. Gov. Neil Abercrombie released the following statement: “This recent visitor report is a reminder of the value that Hawaii has as a tourist destination. As our […]

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MEDIA RELEASE The U.S. Department of Commerce has released its first Cultural Heritage Visitor (CHV) Profile. The CHV profile showcases select characteristics of overseas visitors who participated in one or more of the following activities: art gallery/museum, concert/play/musical, cultural heritage sites, ethnic heritage sites, American Indian community, historical places, and national parks. The United States […]

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MEDIA RELEASE According to the U.S. Department of Commerce sponsored China Travel Trade Barometer, a majority of the tour operators surveyed (as of June 16 – July 1, 2011) reported higher bookings in the second quarter 2011, increasing 16 to 20 percent, on average, compared to second quarter 2010. No one in the travel trade […]

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MEDIA RELEASE The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced international visitors spent an estimated $12.3 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the United States during April. This represents a 19 percent increase from April 2010. Travel and tourism-related exports have increased, on average, nearly $1.4 billion a month in 2011. “Since President Obama […]

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MEDIA RELEASE According to data from the Commerce Department, the U.S. can expect 6-8 percent average annual growth in tourism over the next five years, and this year, 64 million foreign travelers are projected to visit the United States, spending $144 billion during their stays, setting a new record for travel exports. The 2011 International […]

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MEDIA RELEASE The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced that for the first three months of 2011, visitation (12.9 million) was up 2 percent compared to the same period in 2010. However, in March 2011, travel to the United States was flat compared to March 2010 with 4.8 million international visitors to the United States. […]

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