Kilauea eruption brings brief boost to tourism

Visits to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park got a brief boost when Kilauea erupted again last week, creating new reasons for visitors to come to Hawaii, but just like that, the dramatic view of multiple lava fountains feeding into a lake of molten rock is over.

The U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported Sunday that the eruption at the Kilauea summit within Halemaumau Crater has ended.

The eruption began Sept. 10. Lava supply to the vents within the summit caldera stopped Saturday, according to visual and geophysical observations from USGS.

Field crews Saturday morning reported no active lava flowing within the crater as it was restricted to a ponded area north of the vents, which ceased at 11:15 a.m. and then became stagnant by around noon.

“Overnight, webcam views showed incandescence across the eruption area as lava erupted over the past week continues to cool,” USGS said in a statement.

HVO lowered the volcano alert level for ground-based hazards from “watch” to “advisory” and the aviation color code from “orange” to “yellow.” Sulfur dioxide emissions have dropped to near pre-eruption background levels, which measured at a rate of 800 tonnes Saturday.

Traffic to the park is likely to slow with the stoppage of the first eruption since June. However, eruptions still bring excitement that increases interest in visiting the park with the hope of landing on lucky timing. After all, last week’s eruption was the fifth in almost four years.

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park spokesperson Jessica Ferracane said last week’s eruption brought at least 5,000 visitors, including local residents, or more per day.

“A sharp increase in visitors occurs with every eruption, especially when the eruption is confined to Halemaumau Crater and is a short walk from parking areas at the summit of Kilauea volcano,” Ferracane said. “The eruption that started on Sept. 10 is no exception. Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park staff and volunteers are working extra hours to serve the influx of visitors with safety being our top priority.”

Keith Vieira, principal of KV & Associates, Hospitality Consulting, said last week’s eruption generated some calls from visitors who wanted to know about the eruption and whether it was safe to visit.

“It’s good that they are expressing interest, and some of that may lead to bookings,” he said. “However, without a dedicated plan to market the eruption activity, some of it gets lost in all the noise — the Maui wildfires, Morocco and all the other stuff that is going on.”

Shelby Weitz, gallery manager at Volcano Arts Center, which has two locations, one inside the park and one at Volcano Village, said traffic picked up during the eruption but did not necessarily translate into an increase in sales revenues.

“Every time Halemaumau Crater erupts, we get super excited because we know a lot of people will come into the park. We’re definitely seeing more people come through the gallery,” Weitz said. “We’ve got more traffic flow, so naturally we have more sales, but typically the big sales come from our members. The visitors typically are purchasing smaller pieces.”

While eruptions generate interest and park visitation, sometimes they stimulate tourism, and other times might cause downturns. Eruption stop and starts throughout 2022 contributed to strong visitation at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, which drew 1.6 million visitors, who spent $149 million in communities near the park, according to a new National Park Service report. That spending generated as much as $195 million in total economic output and supported 1,500 jobs in the local area.

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park Superintendent Rhonda Loh said in a statement,”We recognize that tourism is a critical driver to the local economy. People come to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park to experience volcanic eruptions, the rich island biodiversity, and cherished cultural landscapes.”

However, the 2018 eruption of Kilauea, which was destructive, actually caused a decline in tourism to Hawaii island the likes of which had not been seen since Sept. 11, 2001. Images of fleeing residents, burning homes and lava bombs made the news, as did reports expressing concerns about air quality. Hawaii County Civil Defense officials ordered all vacation rentals in Lower Puna to cease operations, forcing visitors to find alternate accommodations. That eruption for a period even closed the park, which prior to that had been looking at having a record 2018.

Since travelers to Hawaii often struggle with geography, businesses as far away as Kona were affected by the 2018 eruption-related downturn. Initially, other islands also saw drops in arrivals until the visitor industry made a concerted effort to educate visitors about where the volcanic activity was happening and its distance from popular destinations.

Once some of the lava activity piped down, visitors began returning to explore the new landscape. Park visitor spending data is indicative of these trends. Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park’s 2022 spending results were the highest since 2015, 2016 and 2017 when visitors spent $151 million, $159 million and $166 million, respectively. Spending dropped considerably during the more active 2018 eruption, which yielded $94.1 million. It rose to $116 million in 2019 and then dropped to $50.2 million during 2020 at the height of pandemic restrictions. In 2021, visitor spending grew to $117 million, and 2022 spending represented a 27% year-over-year gain.

Hawaii island arrivals were up 8.1% year-over-year through July, according to data from the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. It’s too soon to see the results of last week’s eruption in the data; however, Ferracane said it’s safe to assume that many Hawaii island tourists will visit Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, the No. 1 attraction on Hawaii island.

“We don’t have any kind of statistics on how visitors plan their trips, but I think people do try to come and see volcanic activity. Especially if you have something like this, it might be more of a spur-of-the-moment decision, especially if they live on a neighbor island or in California,” she said.

To be sure, as many as 13.1% of visitors to Hawaii island visited Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park from Jan.1 to July 31, according to Symphony Dashboard data available on the Hawaii Tourism Authority website. It was the second most popular point of interest on Hawaii island after Kailua-Kona town, which drew a 27.6% share of visitors during the same period.

VISITING HAWAI‘I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK

>> Volcanic eruptions can be hazardous and change at any time. Stay on marked trails and overlooks. Do not enter closed areas. Avoid cliff edges and earth cracks; they are unstable.

>> Hazardous volcanic gases present a danger to everyone, especially people with heart or respiratory problems, infants, young children and pregnant women.

>> Observe the eruption quietly and respect Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners who honor the sacred legacy of this land, and give them space to practice their customs.

>> Slow down and drive safely. Expect long waits for parking spaces at popular vantage points like Kilauea Overlook.

>> The Keanakako‘i viewing area was closed Wednesday due to high concentrations of sulfur dioxide and volcanic particulates, and will remain closed until it is safe to reopen.

>> Conditions can change at any time. Check the park website for eruption viewing information, hazard and closure updates, www.nps.gov/hawaiivolcanoes.

Source: Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park