Jan 20, 2025
HONOLULU (KHON2) -- A large, international volleyball tournament wrapped up Monday, bringing thousands to the islands over the long weekend. Tourism officials say the tournament helps solidify Hawaii as a "sports destination." Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news "Lot of energy here," said Jeff Scholz, a visitor from Washington. "Just the environment. The music, it's one of our favorite tournaments for sure." It's the final day of the annual Trans-Pacific Championship volleyball tournament, featuring some of the best teenaged volleyball players on more than 380 teams from across the state and world. This tournament is just the latest sporting event bringing visitors to the islands. The PGA Tour wrapped its "Hawaii Swing," and there was the Polynesian Bowl All-Star game last weekend. All of which help the state's top industry: tourism. "Tourism is a $20 billion industry," said Mufi Hannemann, Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association president and CEO. "Nothing comes close to those kinds of dollars. In a good year, it'll employ over 200,000 people. In a good year, we're talking over a billion dollars in transient accommodation taxes revenue." The Hawaii Tourism Authority is one of the main sponsors for this volleyball tournament. Their investment $75,000. But according to officials, the value they're getting is well worth it. "We're talking about 25,000 people over the course of those three days that will stay at our hotels that will basically dine all around town and they'll shop 'til they drop," Hannemann said. "So this is a big boost to the economy further solidifies one of HTA's goals which is to be a sports capital." Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You "We love Kauai, that's our happy place," Scholz said. "So it's a good break to get from the northwest over here. This is just a plus to end the trip with." "We have a population that supports tourism and we can be very accommodating and friendly, and give people all kinds of choices if they choose to come to compete, to train, to play, to rest, to stay here," Hannemann said.
Respond, make new discussions, see other discussions and customize your news...

To add this website to your home screen:

1. Tap tutorialsPoint

2. Select 'Add to Home screen' or 'Install app'.

3. Follow the on-scrren instructions.

Feedback
FAQ
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service