State tourism
continues slump ADVERTISING State tourism
continues slump HONOLULU (AP) — Visitors to Hawaii spent $1.1 billion in April — or 2.2 percent less than they spent during the same month last year. About the same number of travelers
State tourism
continues slump
HONOLULU (AP) — Visitors to Hawaii spent $1.1 billion in April — or 2.2 percent less than they spent during the same month last year.
About the same number of travelers came to the islands at nearly 640,000 people.
Hawaii Tourism Authority CEO Mike McCartney said Thursday the agency believes the tourism industry will continue to slow down during the next couple of months.
He says growing competition, the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against international currencies and other economic conditions are holding down the number of people who come to Hawaii and how much they spend here.
To diversify, the agency says it’s promoting Hawaii in markets like Australia, New Zealand, China, Korea, Taiwan and Latin America.
The number of visitors to Hawaii hit a record the past two years.
Kalaheo must conserve water
KALAHEO, Kauai (AP) — The Department of Water on Kauai says that a full restoration of water services there could take four to six weeks to complete.
Water officials said Thursday that residents in the Kalaheo area need to urgently conserve water. Some residents have been disregarding that request by washing cars and watering plants, they said.
About 2,000 homes and businesses are impacted, department spokeswoman Kim Tamaoka said.
“We still expect everyone to have intermittent low pressure or water outages until we can fully restore our well,” Tamaoka said.
The area’s primary well and deep backup well are out of service. Crews are repairing a 1,000-foot shaft that was damaged Saturday night and trying to find the location of the damage. They installed a temporary pipeline that should improve water service early next week. Crews are disinfecting and testing the temporary pipe to make sure the water quality is safe, Tamaoka said.
Residents were urged to use water only for essential uses like cooking, bathing and toilet flushing. Residents without water can take showers at local stadiums at designated times.
Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. and water officials will meet with community residents Saturday at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center.
