Disney fans all over the world are eagerly anticipating the premiere of Aulani, the newest Disney Vacation Club resort, set to open in Hawaii in 2011. But the Hawaiians themselves have a lot to look forward to with the resort as well. Hawaii News Now reports that by bringing this deluxe resort to the state, Disney will be bringing a huge boost to the Hawaiian economy as well.
While Hawaiians are also seeing the impact of Disney on their islands right now with the filming of the newest Pirates of the Caribbean movie, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” taking place in east Oahu, the new resort will provide a much more permanent means of support for the Hawaiian economy. Disney Parks and Resorts chairman Tom Staggs says:
“We’re obviously for sure excited to be a part of Hawaii and of course a part of that is having a positive impact and from an economic standpoint, we are excited that we’ve recently got the results of a study that during construction alone, that would be $600 million of economic impact and 4,800 jobs created by this construction project.”
Those 4,800 jobs involved in the resort’s construction involve not only construction workers, but local artisans, farmers, and craftspeople as well. Once the resort opens, it is expected to contribute $300 million to the Hawaiian economy every year and employ 2,400 full time workers in both the resort itself and throughout the community. Staggs says,
“We think this is an incredible great location and somewhere the families come to visit for many, many years to come.”
