Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism

DBEDT released its first quarter 2025 Statistical and Economic Report today. In the report, DBEDT adjusted its economic growth projections for 2025 to 1.7 percent, lower than the 2.0 percent projected in the previous quarter.

According to preliminary statistics from DBEDT, there were 792,177 visitors to the Hawaiian Islands in January 2025, a 3.8 percent increase compared to the same month last year.

Hawaii Housing Finance & Development Corp. — The expansion of a state-sponsored housing program could help provide homeownership to City and County of Honolulu employees who are working in professions that are facing shortages.

Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority — The Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii has named Riley Saito as its new executive director.

Governor Josh Green, M.D., has released $6.3 million to DBEDT to support a tourism recovery campaign to address the continued economic impacts from the August 2023 Maui wildfires and the expected downturn due to the January 2025 Southern California wildfires.

According to preliminary statistics from DBEDT, there were 910,055 visitors to the Hawaiian Islands in December 2024, a 5.5 percent growth compared to the same month last year.

DBEDT today announced that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December was 3.0 percent, compared to 2.9 percent for the previous six consecutive months.

Office of Planning and Sustainable Development — DBEDT is proud to announce that Hawaii has become the nation’s first statewide economic development district (EDD), a designation approved by the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration.