Kona-low storms dampened Hawaii visitor arrivals, spending in March

Kona-low storms dampened Hawaii visitor arrivals, spending in March

Back-to-back Kona-low storms during the latter half of March dampened Hawaii’s tourism economy, driving down both monthly visitor arrivals and spending for the first time since July. Total visitor spending fell 1.6% from a year earlier to $1.96 billion, while total visitor arrivals declined 1.7% to 888,349, according to preliminary data released Thursday by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. The decline marked a shift …