Island on the brink of financial collapse with fewer than 20 vacation arrivals daily.
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272 thoughts on “Half of Kauai Businesses May Fail | Visitors Are Not Returning”
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Island on the brink of financial collapse with fewer than 20 vacation arrivals daily.
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We have tried 2 times to travel to hawaii from the mainland. Rules are too confusing and only specific testing centers are hard to find and schedule. Now on second trip to caribbean, very easy and safe. Now with the talk of scaling back tourism in hawaii not sure we will ever return.
Thank you
Mike
Hi Mike.
Thanks for the feedback.
Aloha.
We were supposed to be there this month. We weren’t going to wear a mask on a 12 hour flight. Then, who wants to be quarantined when you go on vacation. Kauai did it to themselves.
My family had planned a trip to Hawaii before Covid-19 hit, but of course that changed everything. We were legitimately planning on coming to Kauai for a full 9 days, but after seeing the restrictions (and traveling with two toddlers) we just booked a trip to Maui and the Hawaii. It made us really sad to not go to Kauai but there were just too many hoops to jump through.
We live on O’ahu and had plans to visit in October 2020 but had to cancel due to a funeral. We just made plans yesterday to visit in mid February. We want to support the neighboring economy and hope that the folks there are still as kind and accepting of us as they would have been prior to COVID.
We’re scheduled to come at the end of March but we’re now looking to cancel because of the rules. It would also cost my family another $600 to take a test before coming.
Planned a vacation for April going to cancel if we have a 3 day bubble that’s waste 3 o our 6 days not going to do it too money
When we were part of Safe Travels, case counts went sky high…. all due to travel. How about instead of ‘getting back to normal’ (relying entirely on tourism, something we can’t control, for our economy we start investing in alternatives. Kauai and all the islands have abundant natural resources but here we are wringing our hands looking for tourists to prop us up. That’s nuts. It’s like we haven’t taken this huge opportunity to reflect. Mayor sees what’s going on on n the RoW and doesn’t want the island infected, smart.
I’m not sure there is an immediate answer at this time other than massive bailouts from D.C. Tourism will not return until at least the end of the year to numbers that will make up the current loses of today. It saddens my family and I to see the large number of homeless everywhere and the increase of trash.
This abundant “Natural Resources” that would create thousands of high paying jobs is what? Oil, coal, rubber, timber, iron, copper? None of that and even if there was there would be no access to it. Native Hawaiian groups would never allow it. They are barely ok with people coming to look at the sites. It might be possible to manufacture something here but that would require a whole restructuring of the shipping industry, the elimination of labor unions, and very generous tax incentives. Agriculture? Likely not. Sugar was established for how long here and it could not survive.
The most abundant “Natural Resource” on Kauai is Magical Thinking.
We just need to get everyone on this Island vaccinated and then will be safe. Then determine how many visitors we (Kauai) can handle inferstructure wise and what is sustainable.
This is no surprise. The Mayor has made the safety of Kauai’s residents a priority, sacrificing local businesses. Kauai cant have it both ways. Statistics have shown that this virus is durable but difficult to catch and very survivable. Kauai has over reacted and now suffers the consequences.In addition, full-time residents have voiced their disdain for visitors to a point where they may never feel welcomed or safe again in such a hostile environment.
Yes, agree that it’s either safety or business. But I beg to differ that it’s difficult to catch, considering 400,000 people in the US have died. That’s statistics for you.
I agree – it’s obviously easy to catch. Approaching 25 million “confirmed” infections in the US alone, and the actual number of people who’ve had it is likely way higher when you consider how many people likely had it without ever being tested to confirm. Approaching 415 thousand US deaths attributed at least in part to Covid-19. A mortality rate of under 1.7% of confirmed positive tests. 415K is a lot of people, but as you say, that’s statistics for you. Probably a few million more of the 25 million had a miserable experience, but survived. Who knows if any long term effects? Killer pandemics/plagues have been part of the human existence since forever. This one is a nothing burger compared with some of the past ones.
Greetings from San Diego!
I am travelling for 6 nights total in April (after Easter). The first 3 are in Honolulu. The last 3 are on Kauai.
If I’m understanding everything correctly, as long as I follow the “Oahu” protocol i.e. neg. test, Safe Travel upload, etc. then take a 2nd test on Oahu (and it’s negative) then I’m free to continue on to Kauai and enjoy myself, no bubble, no quarantine? Sounds too “easy.”
If so, how do you suggest I secure my post-arrival Oahu test, and more importantly, on what day of my stay? Assume the following:
1. Arrive Oahu on Monday
2. Fly to Kauai Thursday afternoon
3. Fly back to San Diego Sunday afternoon
Somewhere between steps 1 and 2 I need to re-test, yes? Should I do it as soon as I arrive on Oahu, middle of my stay, the morning of my Kauai flight??? So many questions!
And during my 3 nights on Kauai, I’m free as a bird…just wear mask, be kind, respect the locals, etc.? I don’t need another Kauai test to fly home to SD, right?
Once again, BOH to the rescue!
Mahalo!
Rob
Hi Rob.
You need to check with the test providers on Oahu to see who can do that timely. https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel-partners/
Hopefully, others can also give us a hand from their experience.
Aloha.
I came to Kauai with a place to stay , not a short term rental and I was sweated by the guard, I honestly didn’t even know if I was going to get in, it was awkward and stressful , no one going on vacation would want to deal with this, then the stress of being on quarantine is a lot to deal with, you should be able to come in with your negative results and move freely
And rightfully so!!!
We showed up with the COVID test from the prestigious Presidential Ronald Reagan UCLA medical center and the ___ at the airport couldn’t acknowledge the results.
For a tourist dependant economy implementing these types of rules is a death sentence. Nobody wants to visit the “quarantine isle”. Sad because Kauai has literally no cases and it’s absolutely beautiful. So sad for our neighbor island ohana.
Thank you
We were supposed to head to Kauai tomorrow. We just got a notice that our resort bubble has been closed. Spent 400 dollars on our negative COVID test. Twelve hundred on airplane tickets. If my son and his family didn’t live there I would never go there again.
Speaking on behalf of many like minded residents…no offense personally to tourists, but the reason we are the “safest” island is thanks to the strict guidelines.. i certainly cannot speak for the business owners of tourism based companies..but just from conversations amongst friends & acquaintances, many of us are pleased with the lack of tourists at the moment because we actually do feel a sense of safety here from the dreaded virus that is claiming thousands of lives on the mainland daily. And its been a rather satisfying & unique experience to enjoy certain special places here with much less traffic and people. It seems that even though some of us are struggling a bit more financially, however there is such a wonderful sense of community, i am noticing that everyone had been helping each other any way we can, and it does feel reassuring to be safe than sorry., i mean no disrespect to folks who desire to come here…im just sharing my personal perspective on this whole confusing crisis..
Agreed. Kauai is heaven on earth and hard to stay away from. Yet, Visiting during the pandemic shows a lack of respect for the residents and disregard for safety. The local economy may sting for a bit but the coral reefs and gardens benefit from less ‘trampling.’ Downtown Kapa’a must be a breeze to drive through.
We love Kauai and it’s our island of choice to visit. It has no cases because it has no-one coming in … good for them as far as health but so sad for them economically. No easy solution I feel.
Article some what misleading as the arrivals mentioned in the article are the numbers only for the transpacific flights that are direct to Kauai. That count does not include any of the one or two thousand that come each day from mainland to each of Oahu and Maui and then portion continue on to Kauai on inter-island flight.
Who really didn’t see this happening, with Kauai county? 🤷♂️
Thanks guys…Stay safe, Rob and Jeff. I hope the friends and business owners you know can survive this crap.
Hi Jim.
Thanks. We’re hoping for better days ahead.
Aloha.
Having been in Kauai at the beginning of the pandemic and witnessed first hand the attitude locals displayed towards visitors,it doesn’t surprise me at all.
Thanks BOH for your unbiased coverage of this ongoing s**t show. All of this will eventually land at Kawakami’s feet. With Maui, Oahu, Big Island, etc. doing just fine in the Safe Travels program three months into it, he looks increasingly foolish for his dire warnings about how it was too dangerous for Kauai to have any visitors. Unfortunately now there’s no way face-saving way for him to get back in. Businesses and their employees will pay immensely for his overreach.
Except it’s not just him. The hostility online from locals has been exceptional, and many businesses we try to visit in Kauai made it clear that we were not welcome unless we had quarantined for two weeks, even though, unlike the locals, we had just been tested. If this is how you treat people when they follow all possible precautions, wear masks everywhere, maintain social distance, and do everything right, then you can’t expect people to be back. We will certainly not return again.
That is disconcerting to hear that even some locals are being hostile to visitors; we have always enjoyed the land and the culture of Hawai’i and the Ha philosophy. Now, we will likely spend more time on the Big Island at our resort in Kailua-Kona. For now, St. Thomas is our go to winter destination.
CB, we are not experiencing any local hostility. Still the great Kauai charm. 🙁
Becky, take a look at the /r/hawaii and /r/hawaiivisitors subreddits!
Thank your Mayor next time you go to vote!
He wants and needs tourists dollars but not the tourists.
I’m sure his bank account isn’t suffering like the rest of the residents he has put out of business!
The local government also needs to take into account that healthcare workers as well as high risk, older residents are now being vaccinated. So the benefit of this harsh lockdown is decreasing quickly while the damage it is causing to residents and the economy is increasing.
I guess all of the celebrities and wealthy property owners have private planes and lodging resulting in no worries.
Is Kauai an elite destination excluding middle class tourists?
The local economy depends on this type of visitor.
Hope things expand for Kamaina to survive.
Mahalo for all of the patience.
JR
Hi Judy.
Thanks. Kauai has never been an elite destination of course, with few exceptions. Rather it had been more humble and down to earth.
Aloha.
No one will fly directly to Kauai. Not even it’s own residents. They will fly to neighboring islands to see friends, family, and vacation to avoid quarantine. A quarantine they are not even permitted to do in their own homes.
Sad, remember these politicians at the ballot box
We had a trip planned for the first week in January for Kauai
But the rules keep changing and we could not take chance a come just to have the rules change again. I don’t mean to sound heartless but Kauai’s whole economy is based on tourism you have to be realistic and understand the cure cannot be worse than the disease. This virus has over a 99% cure rate. I am speaking from experience my self my wife and both children have had covid.We have been coming to Kauai since 2005 at least once a year and would love the eventually live on one of the island’s. There has to be a uniform protocol for all the islands to eliminate the current confusion of rules
Off subject, but a real mind blower I’m currently watching the America’s Cup racing from New Zealand. No is wearing masks or social distancing.
My mind is having difficulty with this visual. It’s crazy to see.
We’ve had the house we rent in Hanalei rebooked for this May since CoVid was responsible for last May’s cancellation, and then purchased too-good-to-be-true airfare from Hawaiian just before the end of the year, risk-free in the event of cancellation. We are 69 & 70 respectively, and “should” be vaccinated well in advance of May, maybe. Hopefully, by then that will be all it takes for a hassle-free entry. Otherwise, we will go elsewhere, which we really don’t want to do.
The problem on Kauai boils down to the fact that locals don’t want to see tourists return. There is growing resentment, fear, and almost hatred of them as residents were “blessed” with virtually a tourist-free year. With unemployment and other government assistance, most people are making it just fine without having to return to jobs in which they serve tourists. Topped with our Mayor prioritizing our small community’s lives over welcoming tourists, you arrive at the current situation. The solution is not bring back tourism as it was. The solution is completely restructure the way Kauai makes money for its people and as a whole.
I completely agree that employment opportunities need to be diversified and not totally tourist dependent. Development of green energy jobs, agricultural, brew pubs etc. these are things that will be supported by locals and used on island. COVID is not the only thing that can affect tourism, although this has been the hardest hit by far. Economic downturns, situations where people no longer want to fly such as post 9/11. These are things that can cause another gut punch to a location that is tourist dependent economy. I do have to say, I was surprised by the hostility towards tourists. At first I thought it was a don’t bring your COVID here to our island, but as I have followed the comments it appears this was a deep rooted feeling long before COVID. So sad to hear this
this is a very insightful comment. now, how do you do that quickly and without mass social upheaval?
The problem with that is that there is no influx of new dollars. All you are doing is redistributing the money that already exists on the island. Unemployment checks do not last forever, and with the cost of living in Hawaii, they barely cover food and clothing. Yes, some residents get retirement checks and social security, but that is not enough to sustain the economy for all residents. They need that influx of extra money. Restructuring the way Kauai makes money, as you advocate, would take many years, probably decades. In the meantime, people’s lives would be devastated. Imagine your island with no Capt Andy’s or other excursion companies, no restaurants except small hotdog and hamburger stands, no golf courses except small driving ranges, totally vacant rental homes that would attract vagrants, no botanical gardens. Businesses that do stick around would have to double or triple their prices to make ends meet. The real estate industry would be crushed. If that’s what you want, so be it.
decolonizing the island and becoming free from the golden handcuffs of tourism sounds like a great idea, although surely frightening at first. i’m sure that the peoples/nations who’ve made the choice to get out from under the boot of the u.s. and the crown had it like hell the first decade or so. but freedom is ultimately the the sweetest drink of them all. the people of kauai were doing just fine without tourism or interference before the invaders came.
As much as I love Kauai, the restrictions are completely unreasonable. Covid is here to stay for the long term and unfortunately you must balance economic well being with calculated covid exposure. Sorry to say, but it’s no surprise that Kauai’s approach to Covid will result in more poverty and economic destruction than the virus will as far as illness and death.
A difficult situation to be in. A zero-sum game in which a very contagious disease with a small but real risk of physical misery including death for the few is traded off against mental misery and poverty for the many. And life is short and meant to be lived, not to be locked up.
In the meantime, the fed keeps printing money, the stock market soars, the retired/rich get richer. The trades and real estate are booming on Kauai; home prices and rents are as high as ever due to increased scarcity, but the tourist industry is dead.
As a small business owner I feel so bad for the businesses there. The politicians made a decision and that was to destroy the hard working people of the island. Here is a prime example of the cure being worse than the problem. Very few people will risk the time and expense to travel up to 11 hours stay in a “bubble” then take another test? And what happens to a family of 5 when one person tests positive? Everyone gets stuck g to or 2-3 weeks there? No place to stay?
It’s a vacation not a jail! Maybe we come back when it’s all over maybe not.
I hope by april or may or June or July that all cvs pharmacy the public age 16 to 64 can get the covid19 vaccine
Thank you
P.s
Keep me updated
I am concerned that September 1 will come and cvs pharmacy will be out of covid19 vaccine
For October 1
Please rethink the resort bubble. We want to come in April and 3 of us have already had our covid vaccinations. Please ramp up giving your residents the vaccines and open yo travel with negative covid testing. We have reservations for a vrbo. If things don’t change soon we will have to cancel and reschedule for another island.
Mahalo BOH for staying the course and sending these informative reports. Abiding on the request to stay on travel – not politics is nearly impossible when this unfortunate situation was created by political decisions gone wrong. Kauai has been allowed to paint itself into a corner.
The bubble solution is a none starter for when we stay (at the Grand Hyatt btw) we still travel about to visit all that Kauai has to offer. It seems that every alternative explored to encourage travel seems to make Hawaii the hardest place to visit and enjoy.
Thanks Brad.
We appreciate the feedback.
Aloha.
We live in big island and have not seen family, son and grandson for a year. The tests are $140 apiece each way so that would be $560 on to of airfare.
We are residents and cannot travel freely.
I miss this beloved island and can’t wait to come back. I’ll order online from Kauai businesses as much as I can to help out. Such a small island has to have the strict protocols in place, I believe. Economy is important but its people are priceless.
Bubbles are a bust. Ridiculous. More chance to catch covid in an enchanced quarantine bubble then in our own home or vacation rental. So discriminating. Not fair. Killing the island of kauai. I agree the governor needs to order the mayor back into safe travels. That worked and the mayor never gave it a chance. He is a rogue mayor and needs to be brought under total state guidelines. Not run his own show. Very sad he has been allowed to do so. Hawaii is one state. People see the bahamas and carribean opening and not being overwhelmed. Some of these islands are much smaller. They are not gouging the tourists. Kauai is and tourists will go elsewhere. Sad indeed
Thanks for that information. I have been saying all along that they were cutting off their noses to spite their face. They are reaping exactly what they hoped for; no tourists. I can’t feel to bad for them since this has been their goal. The mayor and his cronies need to be held responsible for this mess. The taxpayers should not have to bail this island since it was a handful of people who are responsible. They should be paying the small businesses out of their salaries for the mess they have caused. The businesses are dying and these idiots are still drawing large salaries and retirement packages. Shame on them.
I don’t know if I will ever consider going to Kauai again. The other, more sensible islands, have as much and more to offer in all aspects.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Sadly I am not surprised by this information. We looked in to staying at a resort bubble hotel but it was too expensive and only would be good if it’s a large resort with a plethora of things to do on site. Thanks for your update.
I am not sure why the people of Kaui are standing by and not protesting in-front of city hall and calling for the mayor’s resignation. Come on people, do something for your friends and family!!
Don’t know how long you’ve been following this blog, but a lot of people on Kauai agree with the Mayor. A sizeable minority would ban or at least greatly reduce tourists, having nothing to do with Covid. If you aren’t dependent on tourists for your income, life is pretty good right now. Quiet, empty. No Covid to speak of. And the at risk people (and even ones who aren’t but are still scared) don’t feel they should have to stay home just so mainlanders can come here to vacation. The mayor would not be doing this if he didn’t believe a sizeable majority of residents agreed with him. They vote. Non residents do not.
I’ve been vaccinated and have a + antibody test. I should able to come without restriction
Thanks, as always, for providing honest coverage of important information.
Beginning to wonder if Kauai government has chosen to shut down the visitor industry on a permanent basis. Seems like every decision is aimed at making tourism more difficult and undesirable. If that is the preference of Kauai voters then so be it. If they have different wishes they need to speak up loudly and quickly.
Hi Skip.
Thanks for all your comments. The answer isn’t really clear.
Aloha.
Our family visited beautiful Oahu in 2019 and my husband and I to Maui 2019 with plans of a return trip 2020. Although we appreciate the safety measures planning COVID tests for 7 would be too risky within the short timeframe…and costly not being able to be tested by our own doctor. We hope to return again 2022…In the meantime we will keep ordering from our favorite Hawaiian businesses.
Terr, I guess we were very fortunate to get three weeks in right after the testing program began in November. I love this Island like no other and it makes me I’ll to think of how the locals are being forced into loosing everything that they have worked for, for generations.
Pray for Kauai.
You nailed it right there! Locals on Kauai lost our jobs worked hard at getting and now only told to “go get another job”. No one cares about thousands of locals who lost their jobs? Is there no newspaper out there with enough balls to report on the true news? Garden Island Newspaper is part of the political control of Kauai.
We have plans to visit the beginning of April for our 20th anniversary. We planned this 20 years ago while honeymooning on Maui. I’m devastated at having to cancel due to the cost of the resort bubbles, bracelets, extra testing. Even if we went to Maui for 3 days the one way flight to Kauai was priced at almost $2,500 per person for that one leg. It’s almost like they are trying to keep people away. If you plan to allow vaccinated travelers to skip all that, now is the time to tell them since it’s a two part vaccine. Otherwise you’re just pushing the doom and gloom out further for your residents.
Go to Florida
absolutely.. much better than police states that feel the need to arrest people over a mask at the beach ( Maui)
Come to Big Island…Friendly and open. I have a rental available, too
!
KL
I think you may have misread that airfare. Hawaiian Airlines has flights from Maui to Kauai for as little as $73 per person.
How about opening up your island to Australians? We have basically NO SARS-CoV2 and we can’t leave Australia to go anywhere else! If Kauai is clear and Australia is clear, I can’t see a problem. And I know there would be hundreds of Aussies queueing up to get over there! (Me included)
I have a 2-week trip to Kauai planned for June (with plane tix and vacation rental in hand). I expect to be vaccinated before the trip (call me optimistic), but I doubt my kids will be vaccinated because they’re under 16. I can bail out as late as April with little financial downside, which is exactly what I will do if I don’t have some clarity and an easy path to avoid quarantine. How can I risk $15k and two weeks of precious family vacation on a slow test result? And the resort bubble thing adds expense and trouble and effectively shaves off a good portion of the trip. My wife is a pulmonologist who has spent the last year treating COVID patients (and watching many of them die) at a large hospital in Denver. We take the virus very seriously, we are extremely cautious, wear masks, social distance, etc. We would do the same in Hawaii.
Start planning to bail…Hawaii hopelessly sinking under inept management.
We are in the same place. 3 are vaccinated but 2 may not be by April. This is my husband’s 70th birthday and our 50th anniversary. We have had reservations and paid for all almost a year ago. There has to be a way. If not we will have to go to another island or Mexico which is not what we want but will have no other option