economy

Restaurants and bars dominate the group of businesses that have closed in Hawaii since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. It's a list compiled by Pacific Business News.

2020 was a tumultuous year for the local economy in Hawaii and the outlook for 2021 remains mixed and uncertain.

Historic funding shortfalls to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands are forcing a discussion among beneficiaries about potential ways to raise revenue. And that includes looking at the possibility of casino gambling.

It’s been a month since Hawaiʻi started its pre-travel testing program, slowly expanding the number of visitors in the islands. In some places, that shift has gotten a mixed reaction, even for communities that have come to depend on tourism dollars. Here's how this is playing out in the Maui beach town community of Pāʻia.

Small businesses owners on Oahu say constant disruptions from efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 are making survival increasingly untenable.

While the entire state of Hawaii has suffered from the shutdown of tourism, one area has been hit the hardest.  

The continuing COVID-19 crisis is costing lives around the world, and is also hitting economies. From job losses to business closings, a growing number of countries are sliding into deep recessions — and that includes in the Asia Pacific.

With health mandates and viral anxieties in mind, Hawaii businesses are rethinking their physical environments.

As of August 1st, travelers coming to Hawaii will be exempt from the state’s mandatory 14-day quarantine if they first get tested for COVID-19 and are negative for the virus. 

Women in Hawaii are more likely to have lost their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 recession than male residents, despite equal representation in the workforce.

Sales of farm products currently represent just 0.6% of Hawaii gross domestic product. Experts say there are opportunities for it to grow, but substantial challenges as well.

Despite decades of effort, state and local government in Hawaii have had little success in fostering diversification of the islands' tourism-centric economy. The COVID-19 pandemic recession has once again generated calls for standing up new industries and expanding existing ones that do not include tourism.

This series explores what some of those industries of the future might be and what local leaders can do to bringa about their growth.

Hawaii’s main industry, tourism and hospitality, has been one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Policymakers have been calling for economic diversification for decades, but single-single industry dominance has been the norm for centuries.

Economists say the state’s economic situation will remain dire without tourism, but residents are fed up with overcrowding by visitors. Experts say now is the time to reorient Hawaii’s visitor industry to a more sustainable path.

As Hawaii continues to reopen the local economy, some leaders are calling for a plan to restart the state’s $18 billion tourism economy. One lawmaker wants COVID-19 testing to be at the center of such a plan.

Hawaii Island’s 12 observatories have been cleared to resume operations by state officials. With travel largely on hold, many observations will now be made from home.

With about 1 in 3 Hawaii workers now unemployed, many have also lost their health insurance. Some options for getting replacement coverage come with a deadline.

Hawaii National Guard Major General Kenneth Hara said he is concerned about the possibility of civil unrest if a plan is not finalized to move toward easing Hawaii’s ongoing lockdown.

More than 20,000 loans in the Paycheck Protection Program have been approved for Hawaii and local banks were on the frontlines of making them happen.

Around 43% of Hawaii residents rent the home in which they live, one of the highest rates in country. With many of those renters now out-of-work, concern is growing about their ability to pay for housing.

Five governors have now joined a coalition of Western U.S. states developing common standards for reopening their economies. Hawaii’s executive remains reluctant.

Updated: 4/24/2020, 8:18 a.m.

President Trump today signed off on another $320 billion in loans approved by lawmakers to help businesses cover payroll and other expenses. Hawaii firms secured $2.46 billion from the first round of funding, but not without difficulty.

With hotels, restaurants, and farmers largely shuttered, demand for fresh, local produce has plummetted. The loss of revenue puts future harvests at risk.