Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Tourism Fuels $149M Economic Boost
In 2022, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park drew in 1.6 million visitors who collectively spent $149 million in communities surrounding the park, as per a report by the National Park Service. This influx in tourism significantly contributed to the local economy, generating 1,500 jobs and $195 million in economic output in the gateway economies neighboring the park. Superintendent Rhonda Loh acknowledged the vital role tourism plays in the local economy, highlighting the park’s appeal, which includes volcanic eruptions, diverse island biodiversity, and cherished cultural landscapes.
Economists at the National Park Service conducted a visitor spending analysis and found that nationwide, nearly 312 million park visitors spent a total of $23.9 billion in communities located within 60 miles of a national park. This spending resulted in the creation of 378,400 jobs throughout the country, with 314,600 of those jobs being situated in gateway communities. Overall, the cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy amounted to $50.3 billion, as outlined in the report.
In other news, a new death related to COVID-19 has been reported in Hawaii County. The deceased was a woman aged between 70 and 79 who did not require hospitalization but had an underlying health condition. This brings the death toll for Hawaii County since the start of the pandemic in 2020 to 260 individuals. Statewide, the death toll has now reached 1,936 people, with the Department of Health reporting five deaths primarily on Oahu over the past week.
The Department of Health’s latest variant report confirms that the omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 continues to be the dominant strain in Hawaii County, accounting for 31% of all analyzed cases. Additionally, a new variant known as EG.5 is rapidly spreading within the county, representing 18% of the analyzed cases and becoming the second most dominant variant. The World Health Organization has included EG.5 on its list of omicron variants under surveillance. However, the WHO affirms that there is currently no evidence indicating that the EG.5 variant is more severe than previous variants.
