Part of Hawaii’s most recent visitor-arrivals report, November 2023, shows a slight uptick in the count of tourists, although they were spending less.

One specific bright spot: The rate of recovery to pre-pandemic levels for Japanese visitors hit its highest mark, 47.8%, since April 2020.

Another key indicator, of course, is Japan’s domestic economy, and encouragingly, a new Japanese government forecast shows incomes rising faster than inflation in 2024. Let’s hope that Happy New Year message carries through.