Island on the brink of financial collapse with fewer than 20 vacation arrivals daily.
272 thoughts on “Half of Kauai Businesses May Fail | Visitors Are Not Returning”
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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