132 thoughts on “Hawaii 2020: Biting The Hand That Feeds Us”
John F
Should be “CAN be taught skills..”
John F
Great article, BoH!
The look in the mirror statement needed to be said. No more finger points at tourists with regards to Covid. I don’t think anyone really understands the hoops those folks are going through to get here.
Until Hawaii accepts that there needs to be a vision and some change to attract other job types and industries, we’ll continue to be susceptible to bouts in tourism. It’s our absolute single point of failure for the economy. Current circumstances prove it. If we had any vision we’d have half the tech people leaving San Francisco move here and startup companies that hired locally. People can’t be taught skills.
However, if the current Government cannot provide direction, clarity and strategy with Covid (known conditions now) then imagine if we had a natural disaster here? Then what.
That should all have you thinking.
Mahalo
John
Beat of Hawaii
Hi John.
Thanks. We appreciate your first-time comment.
Aloha.
John A.
Well, my wife and I give up on Hawaii for 2021. The whole COVID thing has completely messed up tourism to any of the islands but especially Kauai. It appears the left hand has no idea what the right hand is doing; it seems the elected officials and their minions wake up every morning and just spout the first thing that comes to mind. The worse thing is that the lack of tourism
in 2020 (and the beginning, at least, of 2021) will devastate the restaurants and hotels for years to come and make a visit lots less desirable in the future. Aloha, Hawaii – see you when you get your act together for a couple of years.
Bryon B.
Great article. You hit the nail on the head on so many points. I came to Hawaii in 1984 for the 1st time when I got stationed in Hickam AFB. I fell in love with the culture and Aloha spirt. It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. I eventually purchased a home in Kona many years later and return when I can each year.
I never fully understood why Hawaii seemed to want to move away from tourism. I think they should embrace it but manage it differently. Maybe reduce the amount of tourist they allow just like certain environmental sensitive places do (Machu Picchu, Galapagos Islands for example).
Its a difficult problem to solve for sure. Hopefully 2021 brings new hope of life returning to some sort of normal. I hope to return to Kona in 2021 when Quarantine is off the table.
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Byron.
Thanks for your comments. We hope you can get back to Kona soon.
Aloha.
Jeamme M
Thank you for your absolute on target assessment matching a mainlander’s point of view too…all the states’ inconsistencies coupled with locals’comments against tourists enjoying a vacation while locals suffer has made us reassess Hawaii, our alternate home…I feel estranged..and saddened….and right now have no clue who these local people are despite truly saddened by their economic hardships….maybe they never liked the tourists…..my goodness, instead of improving my house, I spent total 3 years over 35 years in Hawaii.got a teaching license there…..sought Vet employ for my RN husband..was it just a false face shown me and my family?
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Jeanme.
Thanks. It is definitely a complicated relationship. More now than ever.
Aloha.
Annick M
JEANMME…you hit my sentiments exactly, I looovoed HI and always felt at home ther…but now i too feel estranged and saddened…dont know when i will return….if ever, there are other magical places i am looking to discover
Jan B
With the Alaska Air offering of BOGO this week maybe that will help. I wanted to purchase but did not because of the on-again,off-again Hawaii regulations. Maybe there will be another opportunity in the future.
Kevin J
We returned to our second home on Maui this past Sunday. We had purchased the home pre-pandemic. In August, we came to Maui and did the 14-day quarantine. We stayed for 3 months and had a wonderful, safe time. We returned to California in early November for 4 weeks. Last Thursday, we were tested at the Hawaiian Airlines partner site in San Francisco. The negative results came back in 25 hours. We uploaded the results to the state travel website and hand-carried a copy. Flight was uneventful. The health-check line at Kahului airport was an hour, but it sure beat the quarantine! Today, 4 days after arrival, we took the voluntary post-arrival test in Lahaina and received our negative results in 45 minutes. The system can and does work!
James B
I realize that this is a tourism site and properly managed by you guys, but if only all of the United States citizens had taken the virus as seriously as Hawaii, we wouldn’t asking these questions.
I know that it’s an analogy, but consider the numbers and equate those to any war that U.S. citizens have fought. Would the Greatest Generation have ignored their responsibility to join the fight as a united nation? Would we have tired of rationing gas and precious metals for the sake of our country as similar to the simple ask of social distancing and mask wearing?
Those two asks alone, according to public health recommendations, would have helped manage spread. Yet we have actual adult elected leaders refusing mask mandates and actually encouraging crowded restaurants and malls.
Look at Australia, NZ, Korea S. and a host of other countries who have tried to manage spread as has Hawaii. They seemed to manage the economic pain with protecting public health.
Now we are in the unenviable situation that could spell doom for the future of tourism. As our main market, the western states, sink even further into the viral cesspool, I cannot imagine even flying back to CA to see my children.
That’s the sad part of this story. The utter lack of empathy, caring, personal responsibility, and reasonable precautions in favor of some stupid, political diatribe about “protecting freedom”.
That’s what has destroyed tourism, not the actions of Hawaii’s political leaders.
Jim B
James B. Don’t know if you’ve been back to the mainland, but except for many social justice protest, and a few political rally’s, we have observed social distancing and mask wearing religiously. I can’t remember the last time I went out and observed someone not wearing a mask and social distancing, when appropriate. I did observe locals, usually 20 somethings, and large family groups, not observing social distancing or mask during my trip to Maui in Nov..
Since you seem to want to lay blame, maybe blame the Chinese Communist Party who modified the virus to be more contagious than a natural occurring virus and then either wittingly, or not released it into the environment then hid it from the world for several months. They are responsible for all this misery,not your countrymen who are are suffering the loss of their livelihoods just as Hawaiians are. Just as in Hawaii,small businesses throughout our country are devastated. Nothing political about it.
AJ W
James, thank you for speaking to the reality. This is what I, as a resident and home owner living in Kapahi, Kauai, came to say. James you really nailed it.
My wife and I have been working remotely now for several years, and paying our state income and sales taxes, property taxes, etc. here.
We have family back in Seattle, throughout California, Arizona, Colorado, Rhode Island whom we’d love to travel and see, or to have them be able to travel here-but we can’t and won’t take the risk, nor will they in coming and potentaially bringing COVID-19 to our island with the ~120 hospital beds, and 9 ICU beds.
Had more people on the mainland simply done what we did to dramatically reduce the risk of transmission, we’d all be living in a different world. Instead, because many on the mainland have eschewed science, medical and public health, the mainland has an out of control pandemic.
If there is blame to be placed for much of this, we need only look to the east across the Pacific Ocean. I believe that most who want to travel to Hawai’i would do their best to be safe, yet the proof lies in the numbers. We see the maps of infection.
Again, we’d like to welcome back visitors, but only when it is safer.
We also need to expand the economy of Hawai’i. In the late 60’s, Seattle came close to failing when Boeing nearly collapsed. Now the Seattle economy is much more diverse. If we have learned anything from this pandemic, it is that many jobs can be done remotely, and done well. That can bring more high-wage earning people to the islands, people who do not commute further than we do – about 30′ from our bedroom to our office! – and enrich our local economy here.
Aloha, and Mele Kalikimaka!
Ralph L.
The longer the shutdown continues, the more out of state homeowners will see their vacation rental income drop. This will lead to massive numbers of houses coming on the market when they won’t be able to make their mortgage payments on a 2nd or 3rd home.
Get ready. It’s far from over…
Annick m
Actually the super rich and foreign investors are swallowing up inventory…the HI as you and have known it will change forever…Hope you like what Larry Ellison has done for Lanai….
Ralph L.
I doubt that the billionaires are going to be interested in a place on a half acre lot a couple streets back from the oceanfront places in HPP, or even a 3 acre place up in the cooler altitudes of Fern Forest or Volcano. These are 2nd or vacation homes that folks on the ML pick up to retire to, while making the payments on them with the STVR income.
The longer things stay shut down, the worse the economy will get hammered, whether here in the 808 of on the ML.
Ed. C
All I can say is, very well put. Always appreciate your perspective and insight.
We’ve had to cancel 2 trips to Kaua’i this year and are about to give up on Maui in February. The continuing Hawaiian drama is just too much.
Mahalo and good luck.
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Ed.
Thanks. We appreciate your comments and hope you can return again soon.
Aloha.
Comments are closed.
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Should be “CAN be taught skills..”
Great article, BoH!
The look in the mirror statement needed to be said. No more finger points at tourists with regards to Covid. I don’t think anyone really understands the hoops those folks are going through to get here.
Until Hawaii accepts that there needs to be a vision and some change to attract other job types and industries, we’ll continue to be susceptible to bouts in tourism. It’s our absolute single point of failure for the economy. Current circumstances prove it. If we had any vision we’d have half the tech people leaving San Francisco move here and startup companies that hired locally. People can’t be taught skills.
However, if the current Government cannot provide direction, clarity and strategy with Covid (known conditions now) then imagine if we had a natural disaster here? Then what.
That should all have you thinking.
Mahalo
John
Hi John.
Thanks. We appreciate your first-time comment.
Aloha.
Well, my wife and I give up on Hawaii for 2021. The whole COVID thing has completely messed up tourism to any of the islands but especially Kauai. It appears the left hand has no idea what the right hand is doing; it seems the elected officials and their minions wake up every morning and just spout the first thing that comes to mind. The worse thing is that the lack of tourism
in 2020 (and the beginning, at least, of 2021) will devastate the restaurants and hotels for years to come and make a visit lots less desirable in the future. Aloha, Hawaii – see you when you get your act together for a couple of years.
Great article. You hit the nail on the head on so many points. I came to Hawaii in 1984 for the 1st time when I got stationed in Hickam AFB. I fell in love with the culture and Aloha spirt. It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. I eventually purchased a home in Kona many years later and return when I can each year.
I never fully understood why Hawaii seemed to want to move away from tourism. I think they should embrace it but manage it differently. Maybe reduce the amount of tourist they allow just like certain environmental sensitive places do (Machu Picchu, Galapagos Islands for example).
Its a difficult problem to solve for sure. Hopefully 2021 brings new hope of life returning to some sort of normal. I hope to return to Kona in 2021 when Quarantine is off the table.
Hi Byron.
Thanks for your comments. We hope you can get back to Kona soon.
Aloha.
Thank you for your absolute on target assessment matching a mainlander’s point of view too…all the states’ inconsistencies coupled with locals’comments against tourists enjoying a vacation while locals suffer has made us reassess Hawaii, our alternate home…I feel estranged..and saddened….and right now have no clue who these local people are despite truly saddened by their economic hardships….maybe they never liked the tourists…..my goodness, instead of improving my house, I spent total 3 years over 35 years in Hawaii.got a teaching license there…..sought Vet employ for my RN husband..was it just a false face shown me and my family?
Hi Jeanme.
Thanks. It is definitely a complicated relationship. More now than ever.
Aloha.
JEANMME…you hit my sentiments exactly, I looovoed HI and always felt at home ther…but now i too feel estranged and saddened…dont know when i will return….if ever, there are other magical places i am looking to discover
With the Alaska Air offering of BOGO this week maybe that will help. I wanted to purchase but did not because of the on-again,off-again Hawaii regulations. Maybe there will be another opportunity in the future.
We returned to our second home on Maui this past Sunday. We had purchased the home pre-pandemic. In August, we came to Maui and did the 14-day quarantine. We stayed for 3 months and had a wonderful, safe time. We returned to California in early November for 4 weeks. Last Thursday, we were tested at the Hawaiian Airlines partner site in San Francisco. The negative results came back in 25 hours. We uploaded the results to the state travel website and hand-carried a copy. Flight was uneventful. The health-check line at Kahului airport was an hour, but it sure beat the quarantine! Today, 4 days after arrival, we took the voluntary post-arrival test in Lahaina and received our negative results in 45 minutes. The system can and does work!
I realize that this is a tourism site and properly managed by you guys, but if only all of the United States citizens had taken the virus as seriously as Hawaii, we wouldn’t asking these questions.
I know that it’s an analogy, but consider the numbers and equate those to any war that U.S. citizens have fought. Would the Greatest Generation have ignored their responsibility to join the fight as a united nation? Would we have tired of rationing gas and precious metals for the sake of our country as similar to the simple ask of social distancing and mask wearing?
Those two asks alone, according to public health recommendations, would have helped manage spread. Yet we have actual adult elected leaders refusing mask mandates and actually encouraging crowded restaurants and malls.
Look at Australia, NZ, Korea S. and a host of other countries who have tried to manage spread as has Hawaii. They seemed to manage the economic pain with protecting public health.
Now we are in the unenviable situation that could spell doom for the future of tourism. As our main market, the western states, sink even further into the viral cesspool, I cannot imagine even flying back to CA to see my children.
That’s the sad part of this story. The utter lack of empathy, caring, personal responsibility, and reasonable precautions in favor of some stupid, political diatribe about “protecting freedom”.
That’s what has destroyed tourism, not the actions of Hawaii’s political leaders.
James B. Don’t know if you’ve been back to the mainland, but except for many social justice protest, and a few political rally’s, we have observed social distancing and mask wearing religiously. I can’t remember the last time I went out and observed someone not wearing a mask and social distancing, when appropriate. I did observe locals, usually 20 somethings, and large family groups, not observing social distancing or mask during my trip to Maui in Nov..
Since you seem to want to lay blame, maybe blame the Chinese Communist Party who modified the virus to be more contagious than a natural occurring virus and then either wittingly, or not released it into the environment then hid it from the world for several months. They are responsible for all this misery,not your countrymen who are are suffering the loss of their livelihoods just as Hawaiians are. Just as in Hawaii,small businesses throughout our country are devastated. Nothing political about it.
James, thank you for speaking to the reality. This is what I, as a resident and home owner living in Kapahi, Kauai, came to say. James you really nailed it.
My wife and I have been working remotely now for several years, and paying our state income and sales taxes, property taxes, etc. here.
We have family back in Seattle, throughout California, Arizona, Colorado, Rhode Island whom we’d love to travel and see, or to have them be able to travel here-but we can’t and won’t take the risk, nor will they in coming and potentaially bringing COVID-19 to our island with the ~120 hospital beds, and 9 ICU beds.
Had more people on the mainland simply done what we did to dramatically reduce the risk of transmission, we’d all be living in a different world. Instead, because many on the mainland have eschewed science, medical and public health, the mainland has an out of control pandemic.
If there is blame to be placed for much of this, we need only look to the east across the Pacific Ocean. I believe that most who want to travel to Hawai’i would do their best to be safe, yet the proof lies in the numbers. We see the maps of infection.
Again, we’d like to welcome back visitors, but only when it is safer.
We also need to expand the economy of Hawai’i. In the late 60’s, Seattle came close to failing when Boeing nearly collapsed. Now the Seattle economy is much more diverse. If we have learned anything from this pandemic, it is that many jobs can be done remotely, and done well. That can bring more high-wage earning people to the islands, people who do not commute further than we do – about 30′ from our bedroom to our office! – and enrich our local economy here.
Aloha, and Mele Kalikimaka!
The longer the shutdown continues, the more out of state homeowners will see their vacation rental income drop. This will lead to massive numbers of houses coming on the market when they won’t be able to make their mortgage payments on a 2nd or 3rd home.
Get ready. It’s far from over…
Actually the super rich and foreign investors are swallowing up inventory…the HI as you and have known it will change forever…Hope you like what Larry Ellison has done for Lanai….
I doubt that the billionaires are going to be interested in a place on a half acre lot a couple streets back from the oceanfront places in HPP, or even a 3 acre place up in the cooler altitudes of Fern Forest or Volcano. These are 2nd or vacation homes that folks on the ML pick up to retire to, while making the payments on them with the STVR income.
The longer things stay shut down, the worse the economy will get hammered, whether here in the 808 of on the ML.
All I can say is, very well put. Always appreciate your perspective and insight.
We’ve had to cancel 2 trips to Kaua’i this year and are about to give up on Maui in February. The continuing Hawaiian drama is just too much.
Mahalo and good luck.
Hi Ed.
Thanks. We appreciate your comments and hope you can return again soon.
Aloha.