Valued at nearly $6 billion, the Ala Moana Center, commonly known simply as Ala Moana, is the largest outdoor mall in the world and the most valuable shopping mall in the United States. It is anchored by Bloomingdales, Macy's, Marshalls, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Ross Dress for Less, Saks Off 5th, and Target.

Honolulu acts as a natural gateway to Hawaii's large tourism industry, which brings millions of visitors and contributes $10 billion annually to the local economy. Waikiki, Honolulu's main tourist district, has more than 30,000 hotel rooms, including international hotel brands, historic estates, contemporary boutique hotels, and value properties.

The city gained worldwide recognition following Japan's surprise military strike on Pearl Harbor. The United States was a neutral country at the time, but the attack led to its formal entry into World War II the next day.

The naval base had nineteen U.S. navy ships and eight U.S. naval battleships at Pearl Harbor, of which all were attacked and four sunk. In total, 2,403 Americans died in the attack, including 68 civilians.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser is the largest daily newspaper in Hawaii, formed in 2010 by the merger of The Honolulu Advertiser and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.