Research
Transient Vacation Rentals on Oahu: Socio-Economic and Fiscal Impacts and Policy
We estimated the socio-economic and fiscal impacts of Short Term Rentals (STRs) on the City and County of Honolulu. The study was commissioned by the Hawaii Vacation Rental Owners Association (HVROA) on the island of Oahu in 2012. The study was aimed at informing the debate on the Planning Commission's draft bill and underlining the economic consequences of the Department of Planning and Permitting's announced intent to strengthen existing law and shut down STRs without permits in the near future. Our study showed significant economic benefits to the populace of Oahu. These included contributions to economic output between $752.3 million and $1.10 billion, contributions to earnings between $240.6 million and $339.2 million along with the generation of 7,566 to 9,993 jobs in the County. Several articles appearing in October 2017 both in the Honolulu Star Advertiser and the Honolulu Travel Forum show that Oahu is still looking at Short Term Rental regulation changes. Thus the issue which is an on-going concern could benefit from the policy discussion in the paper
Economic Impact of Transient Vacation Rentals (TVRs) on Maui County, Hawaii
Following a national trend, home-based businesses grew in Maui County during the 1990s. Some Maui County residents engaged in the vacation rentals business in order to serve the tourism industry. They did this by renting their homes or part of their homes as transient vacation rentals (TVRs). According to a former Mayor, the Maui County Council in the early nineties focused on growing the home-based vacation rental segment of tourism. This was then seen as part of an expanding worldwide trend. The public then clearly and enthusiastically supported incorporating the industry into the community as a growth industry (Arakawa, 2007).
