Hawaii's tourism industry took a hard hit in September as back-to-back storms scared off visitors and drained spending across the islands, which is bad news for local businesses and workers.

• Visitor spending fell sharply in September, costing the state around $140 million compared to last year, with every major market — the US, Japan, Canada — down.
• Visitors also stayed nearly a full day less than last year on average, which cut directly into restaurant sales, with some restaurants reporting sales down 20-30%, the worst since COVID.
• Kauai got hit hardest after Hurricane Lowell, with visitor arrivals down 35% and spending cut nearly in half.
• The state is rolling out small-business recovery grants of $5,000 to $10,000 to help non-agricultural businesses and nonprofits, though workers at smaller mom-and-pop shops are already seeing cut hours.
• Rising airfare costs are also squeezing how much visitors have left to spend once they arrive, even as demand for Hawaii as a destination stays strong overall.

Outlook: Despite September's storm damage, year-to-date visitor spending statewide is still up about 3% over last year, suggesting the hit is a sharp but temporary setback rather than a lasting decline.