155 thoughts on “With State Destitute, How Will Hawaii Market Itself?”
Thom A
I’m not sure if your site is set to post links, but I just watched this video of saliva testing at GATech in Atlanta, and you receive results in 48 hours. It looks like Hawaii (meaning the state government) lacks the ability or resources to find this type of testing. If you could do this upon arrival in Hawaii, and only be limited to a 48 hour quarantine, that would certainly help. Our month in February looks less and less like it will be a reality. NO way am I spending $5-6,000 to be locked in my condo for 2 weeks. Let’s hope it gets worked out?
Linda T
The on again, off again nature of the reopening has cost us both time and money. Maybe it’s just not the right time to vacation anywhere. We Have credits on HA to use up by Spring and hope life starts to get back to normal. We’ve sort of taken this whole thing to mean we need to wait for a safe and effective vaccine. Until the, were grounded!
Doug M
I have seen a lot of unfriendly banter on the blogs directed toward tourists. I wonder if much of this is coming from wealthy, relocated mainlanders who are not in touch with reality. I cannot imagine the hardships being suffered by families who depend on tourism for a living. I fear that the state of Hawaii may not realize that people quickly adjust and will soon forget the state as a viable destination. There are MANY wonderful places to spend tourist dollars that seem to be working harder to accommodate. My hope is that the state can reach a solution that is safe for everyone and the true working Hawaiians can get back to a productive lifestyle to support their families.
David W
Aloha! As always, thank you for this forum in which we can receive updates!
We had planned at trip in Sept 2020 for our 35th anniversary. Combo cruise on NCL POA, plus a few days on either side of the cruise. Many excursions planned and a lot of $$ to pump into the local economy. Fortunately, we were able to cancel the trip in May before we had to pay any more than just a deposit (which we got back). We are rebooked for Sept 2021, but will only go if everything is back to the way it was pre-Covid. No masks, no quarantine, no unsocial distancing, no limited capacities… We do not need a vaccine, nor any testing before we leave, or once there. I do not want to hear about new safety measures or anything special Hawaii is doing. I just want to hear that Hawaii is back open the way it used to be. If I was the new CEO, the campaign I would be using is “Aloha, we are open again – just as we were before”.
Beat of Hawaii
Hi David.
Thanks.
Aloha.
Colleen
I agree 100%
Mike N
I think your Sept 2021 HI chances are slim and none. Time to explore other destinations.
Gary
Hawaii is not a contiguous monolith like all the mainland states are. It is made up of separated counties. Even here in PA, there were different rules in place for different counties during the peaks periods for Covid-19 cases. Those counties with few cases were literally fully open during almost all of the ~3 months of shutdown for the counties around Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Kauai, Molokai, and the Big Island seem (from afar) to be relatively unaffected. Honolulu in many ways has always seemed to be a bureaucratic mess, and now that is combined with a pandemic that exacerbates the mess.
Why not separate the ‘policy’ into a system that allows tourism on one island, but not between islands?
Tom M.
Get rid of the far left, patriarchal, liberal govt officials and elect officials with business backgrounds into key government roles.
Dave R
Yes, business backgrounds. Just look at the marvels that “businessman” Trump has been able to accomplish against COVID. Only 182,000 dead so far, only about 1,000 a day dying. Conflicting pronouncements, lack of coordinated policy, lack of vital equipment, total chaos. For sure, that’s the medicine that Hawai’i needs right now.
Bill C
If you let us come as humans, we will come. It’s up to the people of HI.
Robert C
My reluctance to visit Hawaii at this time is due to a reluctance to fly in a crowded airplane with re-circulating air.
FB
You should probably do a bit of research on the subject of recirculated air on aircraft. It isn’t done – Just not the way aircraft are designed. The only place that has cleaner air than a modern airliner is a hospital.
The air travel risks are the airports at each end of the flight, not the aircraft.
Rob L.
On most airplanes, the air is entirely exchanged every three minutes with 75% of the air coming from the outside, meaning only 25% is being recirculated. Plus, the airplanes have HEPA filters which filter out more than 99% of airborne particles.
Eric G.
The reality of it all is that people love Hawaii and the Aloha vibe. Though its been very questionable how the Governor has handled and communicated about the current situation, I’m sure its not representative of how the majority of the Hawaiian population feels. Just as how the Hawaiian islands depend on tourism, travelers depend on Hawaii for that relaxation and Aloha experience. We won’t allow the low percentage of negative locals persuade us from enjoying one of Gods greatest creations. We pray for Hawaiis economic recovery and wish only the best to for you all.
Laila
It just all sucks. People won’t travel 10 hours to spend 14 days (often their entire yearly vacation budget) sitting in a hotel room. A lot of tourist activities tend to be group activities that easily spread COVID and that’s reasonably not an acceptable risk for people who live there. Testing is still an obstacle. It’s not marketing. Hawaii is awesome and that’s not a particularly well kept secret. Maybe I’m pessimistic because I just attended a Zoom meeting on how I’m supposed to get my 5 year old to do remote kindergarten while I work full-time from home knowing that it is physically impossible to do a good job at both and still acknowledging how lucky I to even be able to do that. It’s just going to suck for a while. The thing that keeps me going is that I know, at some point, it will be over. Not in any time that feels reasonable, but it will be over. Maybe we’ll even learn a few things in the process. I am planning a trip to Hawaii for next summer. That’s my stake in the sand of when I feel we’ll be on our way back to a reasonable normal.
Doreen D.
We too have reservation for Summer 2021. This situation has been extremely trying and difficult. I feel for everyone involved. But I also believe that you will never take the magic away from the beautiful islands. It will bounce back. Our support is more important than ever before. We travel there every year. I so miss it. Praying for a fast recovery.
Betsy L
I agree. It sucks, but it is everywhere in the USA. Even small population states are starting to feel the effects. Hawaii Islands are just too small and too populated to have this virus do what it did to New York. Hawaii’s hospitals and medical facilities would never been able to survive had you not closed off the state. Until there is a vaccine or herd immunity we are all stuck in the same boat. There is a new 5 minute test from Abbott but it is not very accurate so not sure that is a good choice for the islands. I know as soon as it is safe for the people of Hawaii I will return. I wish everyone a safe year and aloha.
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Betsy.
Thanks.
Aloha.
Comments are closed.
Aloha!
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I’m not sure if your site is set to post links, but I just watched this video of saliva testing at GATech in Atlanta, and you receive results in 48 hours. It looks like Hawaii (meaning the state government) lacks the ability or resources to find this type of testing. If you could do this upon arrival in Hawaii, and only be limited to a 48 hour quarantine, that would certainly help. Our month in February looks less and less like it will be a reality. NO way am I spending $5-6,000 to be locked in my condo for 2 weeks. Let’s hope it gets worked out?
The on again, off again nature of the reopening has cost us both time and money. Maybe it’s just not the right time to vacation anywhere. We Have credits on HA to use up by Spring and hope life starts to get back to normal. We’ve sort of taken this whole thing to mean we need to wait for a safe and effective vaccine. Until the, were grounded!
I have seen a lot of unfriendly banter on the blogs directed toward tourists. I wonder if much of this is coming from wealthy, relocated mainlanders who are not in touch with reality. I cannot imagine the hardships being suffered by families who depend on tourism for a living. I fear that the state of Hawaii may not realize that people quickly adjust and will soon forget the state as a viable destination. There are MANY wonderful places to spend tourist dollars that seem to be working harder to accommodate. My hope is that the state can reach a solution that is safe for everyone and the true working Hawaiians can get back to a productive lifestyle to support their families.
Aloha! As always, thank you for this forum in which we can receive updates!
We had planned at trip in Sept 2020 for our 35th anniversary. Combo cruise on NCL POA, plus a few days on either side of the cruise. Many excursions planned and a lot of $$ to pump into the local economy. Fortunately, we were able to cancel the trip in May before we had to pay any more than just a deposit (which we got back). We are rebooked for Sept 2021, but will only go if everything is back to the way it was pre-Covid. No masks, no quarantine, no unsocial distancing, no limited capacities… We do not need a vaccine, nor any testing before we leave, or once there. I do not want to hear about new safety measures or anything special Hawaii is doing. I just want to hear that Hawaii is back open the way it used to be. If I was the new CEO, the campaign I would be using is “Aloha, we are open again – just as we were before”.
Hi David.
Thanks.
Aloha.
I agree 100%
I think your Sept 2021 HI chances are slim and none. Time to explore other destinations.
Hawaii is not a contiguous monolith like all the mainland states are. It is made up of separated counties. Even here in PA, there were different rules in place for different counties during the peaks periods for Covid-19 cases. Those counties with few cases were literally fully open during almost all of the ~3 months of shutdown for the counties around Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Kauai, Molokai, and the Big Island seem (from afar) to be relatively unaffected. Honolulu in many ways has always seemed to be a bureaucratic mess, and now that is combined with a pandemic that exacerbates the mess.
Why not separate the ‘policy’ into a system that allows tourism on one island, but not between islands?
Get rid of the far left, patriarchal, liberal govt officials and elect officials with business backgrounds into key government roles.
Yes, business backgrounds. Just look at the marvels that “businessman” Trump has been able to accomplish against COVID. Only 182,000 dead so far, only about 1,000 a day dying. Conflicting pronouncements, lack of coordinated policy, lack of vital equipment, total chaos. For sure, that’s the medicine that Hawai’i needs right now.
If you let us come as humans, we will come. It’s up to the people of HI.
My reluctance to visit Hawaii at this time is due to a reluctance to fly in a crowded airplane with re-circulating air.
You should probably do a bit of research on the subject of recirculated air on aircraft. It isn’t done – Just not the way aircraft are designed. The only place that has cleaner air than a modern airliner is a hospital.
The air travel risks are the airports at each end of the flight, not the aircraft.
On most airplanes, the air is entirely exchanged every three minutes with 75% of the air coming from the outside, meaning only 25% is being recirculated. Plus, the airplanes have HEPA filters which filter out more than 99% of airborne particles.
The reality of it all is that people love Hawaii and the Aloha vibe. Though its been very questionable how the Governor has handled and communicated about the current situation, I’m sure its not representative of how the majority of the Hawaiian population feels. Just as how the Hawaiian islands depend on tourism, travelers depend on Hawaii for that relaxation and Aloha experience. We won’t allow the low percentage of negative locals persuade us from enjoying one of Gods greatest creations. We pray for Hawaiis economic recovery and wish only the best to for you all.
It just all sucks. People won’t travel 10 hours to spend 14 days (often their entire yearly vacation budget) sitting in a hotel room. A lot of tourist activities tend to be group activities that easily spread COVID and that’s reasonably not an acceptable risk for people who live there. Testing is still an obstacle. It’s not marketing. Hawaii is awesome and that’s not a particularly well kept secret. Maybe I’m pessimistic because I just attended a Zoom meeting on how I’m supposed to get my 5 year old to do remote kindergarten while I work full-time from home knowing that it is physically impossible to do a good job at both and still acknowledging how lucky I to even be able to do that. It’s just going to suck for a while. The thing that keeps me going is that I know, at some point, it will be over. Not in any time that feels reasonable, but it will be over. Maybe we’ll even learn a few things in the process. I am planning a trip to Hawaii for next summer. That’s my stake in the sand of when I feel we’ll be on our way back to a reasonable normal.
We too have reservation for Summer 2021. This situation has been extremely trying and difficult. I feel for everyone involved. But I also believe that you will never take the magic away from the beautiful islands. It will bounce back. Our support is more important than ever before. We travel there every year. I so miss it. Praying for a fast recovery.
I agree. It sucks, but it is everywhere in the USA. Even small population states are starting to feel the effects. Hawaii Islands are just too small and too populated to have this virus do what it did to New York. Hawaii’s hospitals and medical facilities would never been able to survive had you not closed off the state. Until there is a vaccine or herd immunity we are all stuck in the same boat. There is a new 5 minute test from Abbott but it is not very accurate so not sure that is a good choice for the islands. I know as soon as it is safe for the people of Hawaii I will return. I wish everyone a safe year and aloha.
Hi Betsy.
Thanks.
Aloha.