On Monday, Hawaii governor David Ige urged all travelers to postpone nonessential vacations to the destination through the end of October 2021, saying a recent surge in COVID‐19 cases across the Islands is overburdening the state’s healthcare facilities.
“Our hospitals are reaching capacity, and our ICUs are filling up,” Ige said during a Honolulu press conference Monday. “Now is not a good time to travel to Hawaii.”
Ige was joined by Elizabeth Char, director of the Hawaii Department of Health, who indicated the recent jump in COVID‐19 cases across the state was an urgent concern, but not something she attributed to vacationing out‐of‐state visitors.
“The surge of COVID-19 cases is mainly due to community spread, followed by residents flying to hotspot areas abroad and bringing COVID-19 back into their households and community,” Char said Monday. “If things do not change, our health care systems will be crippled.”
John DeFries, president and CEO of Hawaii Tourism Authority, said the Aloha State is already seeing visitor arrivals begin to decline as the traditional fall shoulder season approaches. But DeFries encouraged the destination’s visitor industry and Hawaii residents to work together to combat the alarming case surge, echoing the governor’s recommendation that vacations pause during the next two months.
“We are strongly advising visitors that now is not the right time to travel,” DeFries said. “And they should postpone their trips through the end of October.”
We are strongly advising visitors that now is not the right time to travel. And they should postpone their trips through the end of October.
Hawaii Hotel Industry Voices Opposition
Mufi Hannemann, president and CEO of Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association, said in an email Tuesday to the organization’s membership that Gov. Ige’s recommendation to potential visitors “was not a mandate or executive order and does not carry the force of law.”
“It is our position that there is a safe way for travel to continue,” Hannemann continued. “And the data backs this up, as an extremely low number of COVID‐19 cases have been tied to tourists.”
Through Tuesday, the Hawaii State Department of Health has reported 13,532 COVID‐19 cases across the Islands in August, and just 87 of those were non‐resident visitors.
Transpacific travelers to the Aloha State looking to bypass an otherwise mandated 10‐day quarantine are currently required to upload proof of COVID‐19 vaccination or a negative PCR test — taken no more than 72 hours before departure — to Hawaii’s Safe Travels website and then undergo document verification at the airport on arrival in the Islands.
“We have concerns that [Gov. Ige’s] request will discourage mindful, responsible travelers from coming here,” Hannemann said. “But it will not stop the extractive, opportunistic tourists that we are looking to avoid.”
Benjamin Rafter, president and CEO of Springboard Hospitality and a Hawaii Tourism Authority board member, agreed that Gov. Ige’s statement may ultimately deter more responsible visitors but attract instead a brand of tourist the destination does not want. Rafter is also worried the Hawaii governor’s headline‐grabbing pronouncement may negatively impact bookings on a larger scale.
Hawaii Governor David Ige asked visitors to postpone vacations to the Islands until the end of October.
Credit: 2021 Governor David Ige“A somewhat nebulous statement about ‘just don’t come to Hawaii’ ultimately doesn’t benefit anyone,” he said. “Effectively, what we’re saying is we’ve created an environment of uncertainty, and now it’s hard to recommend this destination when we don’t know what’s going to happen in December and January.”
Rafter said Hawaii’s nascent tourism recovery over the summer has been uneven. While Maui enjoyed a dramatic surge in business, the island of Oahu hasn’t experienced the same success, he said.
“Two or three months does not make a trend,” he explained. “And the worst thing that can happen to Hawaii is [for] the biggest component of the economy to start trending long-term in the wrong direction.”
Facing Hawaii Cancellations and Delays, Some Travel Sellers Say Hawaii Is Still Open
Jack Richards, president and CEO of Pleasant Holidays, said on Tuesday the wholesaler has been fielding a rash of calls from clients set to vacation in Hawaii over the next few weeks, and many are asking about their non‐refundable airfares and hotel bookings.
“We’re saying, ‘This is only a recommendation,’” Richards said. “‘It is not a government mandate. Hawaii is open for travel, and as long it’s open for travel, you are free to travel there.’”
It is not a government mandate. Hawaii is open for travel, and as long it’s open for travel, you are free to travel there.
Still, many Pleasant clients are already cancelling their Hawaii trips, according to Richards, while others are looking to reschedule. Richards also said Governor Ige’s comments will have a crushing impact on new bookings to Hawaii for the rest of the year.
“Any time you get political rhetoric like that, it creates doubt,” he said. “So, the bookings we would have gotten are going to stop.”
Kari Mollan, a Stellar Travel advisor in Bellevue, Wash., said she has a number of clients scheduled to vacation in the islands over the next two months, and she had already spoken with several of them over the phone Tuesday. Most were disappointed to hear Governor Ige’s recommendation, according to Mollan, but she hadn’t yet started handling any Hawaii cancellations.
“What I’m doing is I’m watching the dates of when the cancellation penalties kick in on everybody’s trips, and I’m telling people let’s make a decision before that date,” Mollan said, noting that right now she’s encouraging clients to do what they feel is best.
What I’m doing is I’m watching the dates of when the cancellation penalties kick in on everybody’s trips, and I’m telling people let’s make a decision before that date.
Mollan said that the recommendation will definitely impact her business.
“Once again, we may have to rebook stuff for the second, third, fourth time and hope it’s available for dates people want. … Some suppliers will just let you push it forward, and it’s a lateral price. But it could be we had a good price in September, and if people choose new dates in December, the price could be doubled.”
Richards, meanwhile, was quick to note that Pleasant was already seeing a substantial surge in clients reconsidering their vacation plans long before Hawaii Gov. Ige’s announcement Monday.
“Ever since the surge in the Delta variant occurred, we have seen cancellations for all destinations, including Hawaii, increase significantly,” Richards said. “People are becoming very, very cautious about traveling not only to Hawaii, but the Caribbean, Mexico, everywhere. … For August month to date, our cancellations are up 292% compared to 2019.”
The Details
Hawaii Safe Travels
