Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism

Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. — HHFDC clarified today several misstatements made by AARP Hawaii (AARP) in its Feb. 26 press release regarding the possible loss of the affordability of approximately 10,000 housing units in the state over the next 20 years.

DBEDT has been awarded a $936,000 grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program.

More than 250 attendees gathered at the Ala Moana Hotel for the first-ever "Made in Hawaii Presents: Your Future in E-Commerce" conference.

Hawaii Broadband and Digital Equity Office — With the aim of ensuring universal access to the internet and addressing diverse digital needs across our state, DBEDT's Hawaii Broadband and Digital Equity Office has published the final version of its Hawaii Digital Equity Plan.

Governor Josh Green, M.D., and Governor Tokihiro Nakamura of Ehime Prefecture, reaffirmed the Hawaii-Ehime sister-state agreement on Friday, February 9, 2024.

DBEDT, in collaboration with industry leaders Amazon and Shopify, announced today that the first-ever “Made in Hawaii Presents: Your Future in E-Commerce” conference will be held at the Ala Moana Hotel on Wednesday, February 21.

Total visitor arrivals to the Hawaiian Islands (860,831 visitors, -1.3%) and total visitor spending measured in nominal dollars ($1.96 billion, -1.2%) were down slightly in December 2023, compared to December 2022.

DBEDT today announced that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December was 2.9 percent, the same as in October and November.

Paving the way toward a more vibrant locally created media industry, Hawaii State DBEDT’s Creative Industries Division is supporting awards season marketing for local films to reach global audiences.

DBEDT and County of Maui Office of Economic Development convened the first meeting of the Maui Economic Recovery Commission on January 5, 2024 at the University of Hawaii Maui College in Kahului, Hawaii.