Big Island hotel occupancy declines for fourth month
The fallout from the Kilauea eruption on Hawaii’s Big Island was still being felt through the end of last month, with hotel occupancy declining again.
The fourth consecutive month of decline saw occupancy at just 58.7%.
That is a double-digit fall from September 2017.
Hotels’ average revenue per available room fell 12.5% to $121.90, although it is still up year-to-date compared to 2017.
Despite the prolonged hit to the tourism industry since the Kilauea eruption in May, there is cautious optimism the rebound has already begun.
There is a lull in volcanic activity and little likelihood of another eruption anytime soon, and the Hawaii Volcanoes national Park has reopened to visitors.
"I think it’s gradually improving, thanks to airline seats," Ross Birch, president of the Island of Hawaii Visitors Bureau.
Seat capacity to Kona for November is up more than 20% on last year, at 80,000 seats.
Birch said the reopening of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park should see an increase in day-trip traffic from Oahu and Maui.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Marginal increase for New York City tourism in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments