2024 Visitor Numbers Show Continued Decline
By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor
Visitor numbers and expenditures on Molokai have fallen over the past year, continuing the downward trend seen since 2019. The Hawaii Dept. of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) recently released their data for visitor statistics to Hawaii for December 2024, and 2024 as a whole. While tourism has increased statewide by 0.3 percent, totaling at 9,689,113, Molokai’s visitor numbers decreased by over 10 percent in 2024, totalling 29,844. Likewise, visitor expenditures on Molokai fell nearly 12 percent in 2024, down to about $30 million from $34 million in 2023.
Molokai averaged 468 visitors per day in 2024, down from 496 in 2023, and the lowest in the state.…