Putting the beach back into Waikiki Beach

Thank goodness that sand-replenishing project at Waikiki Beach is over, and that it didn’t take too long. The area is one of Hawaii’s key attractions, so it made sense to do it, and do it quickly.

The $2.5 million project began in mid-March and widened the beach from the Duke Kahanamoku statue to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel by 37 feet, restoring it to its 1985 width. It’s also nice that the sand was pumped in from offshore, instead of taking it from other beaches on the island, as was done in the bad old days. The new sand still has some small rocks in it, so caution might be in order for a while when walking on it, but otherwise, it’s nice to have the beach back.

Happy days are here again for tourism , for now

It’s been a long time since Hawaii tourism officials have been so bullish on their business. But no wonder: Visitor arrivals in March were up in just about every category — U.S. West, U.S. East, Canada, cruise ships, even Japan. The latter, of course, has been a source of worry for the visitor industry, which watched arrivals from Hawaii’s largest international customer market decline markedly over the last few years. There was some talk that the losses were permanent, part of a long-term trend.

Let’s hope the latest good news will put those fears to rest.