Learning Adventures

Major Industries on Hawaii Island

The economy on Hawaii Island is driven by an intriguingly interwoven mix of industries led by diversified agriculture, ranching, science and technology, and of course, tourism. It’s an economy mostly driven by small businesses, many of them family owned.

Tourism

In 2007 1.6 million visitors came to Hawai‘i Island from the other Hawaiian Islands, the U.S. mainland and around the world. About one of every six residents works in tourism. Tourism is such a thriving industry here because of the wide range of unusual activities, amazing sights and places to stay on “the Big Island.”

Eco-tourists learn that Hawaii Island contains 11 of the world’s 13 defined eco zones. Some 1330 square miles (3445 sq. km.) are zoned “conservation. That’s about one-third of the island. We have the planet’s tallest mountain (Mauna Kea, which, measured from it’s base on the ocean floor, is about 3,700 feet [1,233 meters] higher than Mt. Everest), lush rainforests containing endemic plants and birds found nowhere else on Earth, an erupting volcano that’s making “the Big Island” still bigger, and offshore waters that are a wonderland for fishermen, kayakers, snorkelers and divers. The most visited place on the island is Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. In 2007, more than 1.4 million visitors came here primarily to see nature’s wonders.

Increasingly, Hawaii Island eco-tourists are also interested in agricultural tourism thanks to more opportunities at visitor-friendly farms, ranches, nurseries and aquaculture operations. You can walk through orchards of Kona coffee, macadamia nuts and exotic tropical plants; through farms growing heirloom tomatoes, sweet potatoes and salad greens; through nurseries raising exotic flowers that are shipped around the world. And you can see ranches producing beef, pork and lamb; and aquaculture farms raising everything from micro-algae and lobsters to seahorses. Almost all of these operations are small businesses – the one huge exception being Parker ranch, at 150,000 acres (60,703 hectares), one of the largest cattle ranches in the U.S.

Hawaii Island ag products – generally raised using sustainable practices – are available at bountiful farmers markets and on grocery store shelves, and are served in the island’s superb restaurants featuring fresh Hawaii Regional cuisine – which is yet another “industry” here.

How important is agriculture to the economy of Hawaii Island? Very.
More than a million acres are ag-zoned, and the value of our crops, livestock and aquaculture was an estimated $195 million in 2005 (the latest figures available).

Ag-centric visitors are also often interested in science and technology. They can go from having their fingers in the soil to their eyes on the stars all in one day. Intrepid astronomy lovers make the trip up the flank of Mauna Kea to the 9,000-foot (3,000 m) Onizuka Visitors Center, where they can take part in night-time telescope programs, and view displays on astronomy, ecology and Hawaiian culture. They can also continue up to the 13,796-foot (4,600 m) summit to stand next to the world’s largest collection of advanced observatories (13 telescopes representing 11 countries) for a view of the island and the universe that they won’t soon forget. Mauna Kea’s exceptionally clear air and low levels of “light pollution” from populated areas below make it one of the finest sights for astronomical research on the planet.

Visitors can also explore the stars and their importance in traditional Hawaiian culture from practically sea level at the amazing Imiloa Astronomy Center on the campus of the University of Hawaii in Hilo, where the Institute for Astronomy is a major player.

All combined, astronomy-related research, education and tourism contributes an estimated $150 million annually to the economy of Hawaii Island.

Other exciting ways to explore science and technology on Hawaii Island are at NELHA, where visitors can learn about cutting-edge research and commerce in sustainable energy from the ocean and sun, and innovative aquaculture commerce related to micro-algae, pearls, lobsters, and yes, seahorses and vodka. In 2007, this incubator of 34 ocean-linked businesses brought in an estimated $40 million in revenues.

Resorts, hotels, vacation condos, country inns and bed & breakfast cottages are an integral part of the tourism industry on Hawaii Island – and of the overall economy. They offer the spectrum – from rarified luxe to budget-minded family fun, from sprawling fun-palace resorts, budget-minded hotels and condos, to intimate, secluded bed & breakfast cottages. They cater to everyone – jet-setters, honeymooners, middle-managers, young families with spunky kids, perennial devotees, adventurous foodies, convention-goers, and party-hearty singles, any of whom can take their pick of sun-bathed beaches, sand-bottomed kiddy pools and playrooms, championship golf, sublime spas, gourmet restaurants, ancient Hawaiian archeological sites, wedding chapels, forest furos, meditation retreats – it goes on and on.

The resorts along the Kona and Kohala Coasts especially contribute to the island’s economy because they offer much more than a room in paradise. They offer sublime spa treatments, kid-centric fun, dining options ranging from beachside burgers to sushi or steak by candlelight, and myriad activities including golf, tennis and scuba diving, as well as outland adventures exploring the island’s nature, history and culture.

Most island residents working in tourism do so through hospitality employers. In fact, according to 2007 statistics, the island’s second largest employer (after county, state and federal government) is the Hilton Waikoloa Village.

Finally, there is another force driving the Hawaii Island economy, the one which is hardest to quantify, yet, along with the island’s natural beauty, its most important: cultural tourism. Some 2000 years after the first Polynesian voyagers made landfall on Hawaii Island, Native Hawaiian culture is thriving. Though it is wrong-headed to define the spreading practice of native Hawaiian culture as an “industry,” there’s no doubt about the significant economic impact of the sharing of Hawaiian culture in the form of commercial luaus, hula performances, Hawaiian music and theater, art and crafts, and spiritual and healing workshops. Add to that the rich history here of our immigrant cultures from Asia, Japan, the Philippines and the South Pacific Islands, and we begin to understand why Hawaii – especially Hawaii Island – is so unique and appealing.

So the major industries of Hawaii Island extend into every branch of tourism. The dramatic natural landscape, the native and immigrant cultures, our farms and ranches, our research stations and nodes of innovative commerce, our resorts and restaurants all help drive the island economy.

For more info on these economic forces, go to:

• The Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce
• Hawaii County Economic Development

Hawaii County Data Book:

• Tourism
• Agriculture
• Trades and Services