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Hawaii Public Relations Nightmare as Media Frenzy Fuels Unrest

Global news outlets raise big concerns for Hawaii visitors.

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456 thoughts on “Hawaii Public Relations Nightmare as Media Frenzy Fuels Unrest”

  1. I’m hoping to be back September 1st if timeshares + restaurants are open again. Perhaps I’m naïve but I’m believing that everyone will be nice and welcoming.
    I think the discord is caused by the unthinking/unbelieving visitors who believe nothing applies to them – only others stupid enough to believe the rules. Residents are most likely concerned that their health care system could not handle what is happening in a few places. And as can be seen from the data in Hawaii – it is pretty surely being brought to the islands by visitors – the numbers have been pretty down low during the shutdown.
    The cultures there also have multi-generational family units (probably more so than mainland), so automatically the elders are at higher risk. Tourists bring vi rus and expose anyone who is part of tourism (hotels, tours, restaurants, luaus to name a few).

    Anyone who knows a bit of Hawaiian history, should know that the missionaries brought many diseases to the islands and wiped out thousands of natives. I imagine this is in the minds of many residents as well.

    This is not a conspiracy or power play by whoever – it is being played out all over the world. And the rules/laws apply to everyone.
    As always – not all visitors are the same. And not all residents are the same. And things are difficult for everyone.

    I’m hoping to see and experience the same Aloha feeling on return.

  2. Aloha, does that mean anything anymore? To be honest, I started to feel unwelcome and hurt by some of the comments by native hawaiians during the TMT protests,this whole notion about a sovereign nation and how the United States stole the land from Hawaiians,I’m all for celebrating local culture and embracing your roots, but Hawaii is part of the United States, and to block a scientific gift which has the potential to help humanity over some local superstition was ridiculous, this was the perfect example of diversifying the economy. My mother was born in Hawaii and I lived there as a child, it’s always been a special place to me, I’ve felt that I was home every time that I’ve returned,but to hear the local cry of yankee go home now, Cabo is looking a lot more welcoming to me, and more affordable.

  3. It is very sad that it has to come to this, but I think it was entirely predictable. What you are seeing is partly a huge hangover among us Kamaaina from the effects of unrestrained overt tourism for so many years.

    Last year, long before this emerged, I witnessed an interesting small scene. One of our well known kupuna, an internationally known Kumu Hula, was unusually excited, walking hurriedly while shaking his head, screaming at people. “Tourists go home. You are killing our aina.” Our quiet little Hilo town, where all long time residents used to know every face, was swarming with cruise ship passengers, rental cars, and vaca rental guests. There seemingly was a realtor sign on every beach house.

    There was a sense, building over years, that unrestrained tourism and real estate dealing was eating our soul

  4. The decisions have already been made. When we purchased a timeshare on the Big Island, when we rented an apartment on Maui and paid in advance, our plans were set. You accepted our money. The State government took our tax dollars. We worked all year to go on a 2 week vacation to Hawaii. Now, we can’t go and enjoy ourselves? Let me remind all of you and especially the Gov. Ige. Hawaii is a State. Part of the USA. It has been since I was a young child. So Hawaii is subject to the laws of the USA. And you can have emergency orders for disasters. But this is not an excuse to have a referendum on tourism. That ship has sailed. Extending the Stay out of Hawaii order for mainlanders is way beyond the authority of the Governor and the State Legislature. If this continues, there will be more than bad press. People will want refunds on timeshares, hotel deposits, and plane tickets. Eventually the real estate market will crash and people will want refunds on their property investments (losses). Local businesses will fail, restaurants will close permanently, stores will be empty. Tax base will shrink and there will be no money for schools,police,roads or hospitals. And then the lawsuits will follow. No one in their right mind wants any of this. But many have not thought about it. Hawaii is at a turning point. You can choose to recover or you can let this destroy your way of life for a long time to come.

  5. Long time reader, first time commenter: Thank you for your honest reporting and coverage of this issue. We used to visit Kauai annually, but missed a year after our son was born. We were planning on coming back once he is old enough to start remembering a little, maybe in 2021. However, even if we could come now, we wouldn’t until we knew it was safe for the beautiful island and people who host us for us to do so. We also wouldn’t be able to come, quar antine in a hotel room for 14 days, then enjoy our trip (that’s too expensive, too hard to plan as a nonresident, and too much time off work), but being required to be tested before coming and/or on arrival (with short quar antine until test result) would be feasible and a more than reasonable request when lives are at stake. My sense of convenience and preference should not outweigh someone else’s chance to live another day on this planet. The best thing of all will be for Hawaii to have that screening capacity to minimally inconvenience guests (and there will have to be an inconvenience), but to effectively control risk. And as for traveling elsewhere, well, there’s simply no place on Earth like Kauai.

  6. I promised my kids the other day as soon as this is over and travel restrictions are lifted, the first place we are going is Hawaii. Hawaii is, and has always been a special place for me and now for my children. We can’t wait to get back.

  7. After visiting the islands 7x in my lifetime , we took a 7 year break after being unable to travel due to blood clotting issues.
    We voluntarily canceled our May trip to Florida due to the dangers of traveling that early in this. We figured we’d go somewhere in August right before our son went back to college, so we looked at Kauai airfare and were so pleased to find the very low fares. We figured the quar antine would be over by June or July latest. To hear that your state with zero active cases could extend that continually and ruin our dream vacation and cost us so much money was very upsetting, saddening and angering. These unreasonable measures go way beyond caution and scientific advice. They’re openly hostile to visitors. Test us before going on the plane from the mainland but don’t force us to stay locked in a room 14 days or cancel again. Sadly we will never ever return to our dream island if you disrespect visitors that much. There are many other tropical places that welcome visitors in safe ways. We hope you truly think about the repercussions of extreme anti tourist actions . You will lose many regulars forever.

  8. My husband and I can’t wait to get back to Hawaii. Our Hawaiian cruise Was cancelled March 14 but we were able to reschedule it for September. Can’t wait 🌴
    Aloha

  9. Aloha,
    As a frequent visitor since 1984,and having almost always felt welcome and respected, I am so sad about everything that has negatively affected Kauai. That includes the terrible floods and damage of recent years and subsequent consequences to the economy. We, as a family, have always been low-impact and respectful visitors to the North Shore…and recently I have been visiting solo in the Poipu area, where I have felt safe as an older woman traveling alone.
    I understand the reasoning behind the hostility and negative attitude towards non-residents at this time. However, we will sadly not be returning in the near future until we feel comfortable and welcome by the island in general. We have moved our July Hanalei vacation rental to next summer 2021, thanks to cooperative Parrish Collection manager, and hopefully the world will be a friendlier place by then.
    Blessings and aloha to all of you from everyone who dearly wishes to be part of the solution, not the problem.

  10. Thank you for this discussion. I posted a few weeks ago that the Stanford and USC studies were good news that this is not very deadly. Since then you have completely changed my mind. Hawaii should not reopen until there is a vac cine. There are simply not enough ICU beds and ventilators. “We are all in this together”. “Stay away to save lives”. I love what the VASH- Visitor Aloha Society Hawaii is doing to track down visitors that don’t comply and sending them back where they came from. Please stick to your principles and save lives. Even one life lost to this is too many. “Stay home, Stay safe”. A vac cine should take less than two years.

    1. 2 years without 80% of your economy will cause unthinkable devastation to your economy permanently . You don’t need to abandon health to safely open up the economy. There has to be a reasonable balance . Test people as they get to airport , don’t just close off your island 2 years.

    2. Even one life lost is too many? People die every day. They die from disease, auto crashes, crime, and old age. Some of these are preventible and some are not. But we still drive cars, and smoke Cigarettes and many other danger activities. A vac cine will never be 100% effective. We have a flu vac cine now that is updated every year. Yet only about half of Americans get the flu shot. And close to 30,000 people in the USA die every year from the common flu. So You want Hawaii to stay closed until there are no more deaths? Seems kind of silly now doesn’t it?

  11. My husband and I visited Honolulu and Maui last fall. About a week ago we booked the Big Island and Kauai for two weeks in September. What would keep us away? If the 14 day quar antine were still in effect, of course. And, when I last looked, the hotel choices weren’t as widespread as in the past. This is likely due to the pan demic and hopefully things will open up soon. We stay at Marriotts or Hiltons because that is where I have hotel points. With Southwest Companion pass and hotel points, Hawaii is affordable for us.

    We live in Las Vegas which is also terribly affected by this. The unemployment rate is ridiculously high and many have not yet seen any unemployment benefits. We would like to visit Hawaii if it is possible as it is a good thing to help a tourist-based economy right now.

    Aloha!
    Susan

  12. There is no reason to overreact. Once it is safe to travel, tourism will return. The bigger risk to tourism is the likelihood of a slowly recovering economy – not the misperception of a change in Hawaii’s aloha.

  13. I was planning on spending thousands of dollars for a 3 week anniversary trip to Hawaii. I’m not going to pay out the money to sit in a hotel room for 2 weeks. Now I’m considering a 3 week cross country trip on Route 66.

  14. I already have reservations for October 2020 and March 2021. On another note, Hawaiian Air was great to work with. They notified me of the cancellation of my May 2020 flight to Oahu and offered me a voucher or a refund. I selected a refund and my account was credited within 2 business days.

  15. My husband, our son and his family come every year to Kauai Hawaii. It was very difficult for us to cancel our June reservation and we feel very very lucky to get a 2 week reservation at the Lagoons and the Waiohai resorts for November. Fingers and toes are crossed that we can come. Safety is our biggest concern. We will be more willing to pay a little more for our accommodations if necessary. I understand less housekeeping might be necessary, and we are fine with that. Just a safe, warm stay, use of the pools is a must, access to ocean snorkeling, open restaurants….those are our highest priorities.

  16. Thank you for all of the information you provide to us on a continuing basis. We have been coming to Kauai annually for many years and have not once felt unwelcome. We respect the land and the residents of Kauai. My brother In law and husband even helped with Beach cleanup at Lydgate after the Christmas storm. Kauai is my reset in a stressful life and the calm begins the moment we step off the plane In Lihue. We have already booked to return in January 2021 and look forward to leaving Minnesota winter behind for a few weeks.
    Aloha!

  17. Our daughter and her husband, both healthcare workers, have lived on Kauai for years. Last winter, I went to share in the birth of their first child. Shortly after our grandson was born, my husband and son flew in from the mainland to greet the new family member. This was about when the virus was taking hold on the mainland, and people on Kauai were taking notice.
    We mostly stayed at our rental, or at our daughters home, but we’re wearing masks in stores, even when few people were.
    Our son left the day before we did, and when we dropped him off at the airport, imagine my surprise to be greeted by a small crowd of people with signs at the airport entrance. It really stung when they started yelling at us to GO HOME!!!
    Our daughter lives on Kauai, so we will be going back. Not so certain I would be after being treated that way.
    Much as we love Kauai, we also love several other Hawaiian Islands. We also travel to other unique and beautiful places, so know that there are other great places to go where you feel welcome. I know that the year round residents of Kauai are enjoying this break from tourists, and I don’t fault them for that. Just hoping that visitors will soon be welcomed with open hearts and minds once the quar antine days are over.

  18. Our family had 4 rooms reserved at Marriott at Kaanpali along with Hawaiian Air for 6.2.20. Cancelled everything !!!!!!

  19. Returning to Hawaii will not be an easy decision for us, or for other family members who also travel there. We have gone to Hawaii almost every year for probably 20 or 25 years, love the islands, and have visited all of them during that time. But we spend most of our time in Maui, in a quiet, beautiful townhouse community we treasure. Besides the long and increasingly uncomfortable and expensive plane rides to get there, and the questions involved with that and whether we even want to get on a plane with all the new rules, seat configurations, etc., when they are finally determined, we read on your website recently that the condos and townhouses are expected to go up further in price as the preferable place for visitors to stay. This is from the already almost unaffordable prices we have encountered in recent years! With high cleaning fees, high taxes, and parking added on, there really are other options to consider as destinations.
    We do live in California in a tourist area, and understand all the trepidation of Hawaiians. But we can also potentially drive to a beautiful destination that will have accommodations for a family group right in California – without the tropical climate we love in Hawaii, but also without all the added expenses. This would hopefully allow our children and grandchildren to join us more easily and more frequently than they can when we go to Hawaii, especially since some of them do not have the ability to fly direct and also have families for added expense to even do that. We love Hawaii, but visiting it may no longer be feasible for us.

  20. I love Hawaii. Have been back every year for the past 9 years and will continue to visit as long as it is safe, no health threat and welcoming.
    If I ever sense we are not welcome, you will never see me, my Ohana, our $$$$ ever again .
    We do not visit anyplace on this Earth where we are not welcome.
    Fortunately , the Aloha spirit is strong and will welcome all .
    May health prevail on Tradewinds of love and health to all, Aloha

  21. I personally applaud Hawaii for all of the steps that have been taken to keep the island isolated I. Order to contain (if at all posdible) the spread of this. This is an u unprecedented time for all us of, drastic ti.es call for drastic measures!
    I LOVE Hawaii! I say that Hawaii is where my soul lives. I am willing to wait as long as it takes in order to be able to safely return. And when that time comes, I will do everything possible to keep the Islands safe, clean and enjoyable.
    I have seen with my own eyes how some visitors disrespect the Islands with trash and destruction. No, not all visitors are bad but let’s be honest, some are.
    I know the Island economy is suffering and I understand how badly they need tourism to resume and I pray that financial relief is on it’s way very soon. We most definitely plan to return to Hawaii as soon as we can.
    Mahalo

  22. From a tour operator who has been bringing people to the islands for 40-years, here is what our tea leaves are saying…

    In the beginning, a greater percentage people are going to stay closer to home, much like post-911. When they decide to get on planes (maybe a few months), the next places on their list will be the memory places, IF they feel safe and welcome. Airlines play a huge role in this. Hawaii will be at the top of this list, unless you send a different message.

    Small groups of people all over the mainland are acting out, frustrated in the lack of jobs and tired of staying at home. They may have impacted the opening up process. Whether that is good or bad, we will know soon. It’s a difficult time.

    Maybe this is a chance for some voices to be heard. Perhaps the Hawaii Visitors Bureau will embark on an education campaign when visitors return. Something that helps visitors understand the balance and how to be a welcome guest. It might be an opportunity for a bit of a reset.

    Hawaii has now seen what no visitors is like. Many of us know what too many visitors to the islands looks like. Is there middle ground?

  23. We currently have a trip planned and reserved for September 2020. In fact, I just made it since we finally got the in-laws to agree to go and the flights are a good bargain right now. We will NOT be able to do this trip if any quar antine time is in place. Just can’t take time off work that long, plus it would make the cost of the trip prohibitive. We are ages 54-79 on this trip and are not afraid to live our lives. We will spend time in two hotels (3 rooms) on two different islands, eat lots of food, shop in shops and enjoy Hawaii all while spending money that should help many people. I hope things have settled down by then. If not, we would have to cancel, which makes me very sad.

  24. Thank you for your dedication to bringing the best Information about what to expect from a vacation in Hawaii. After two trips over the past 6 years, I appreciate your insights. We have always tried to live the “local life” when we travel. The aloha spirit will live on but what has to change is the behavior of visitors. Even at the 4-5 star hotels , some guests are just entitled jerks. Paying for a high end condominium will not save you from the “weekend warriors “! We will return but not until we can afford remote private home.

  25. Have Cancelled our upcoming June trip for a holiday there

    Too many unjustified unnecessary restrictions for a Destiination/state that has a minuscule incident/death rate and an out of touch political state/local admin

    Good luck on ur own, Hawaii!

  26. I have been visiting Kauai for over 12 years now. I save all year so that I can bring my family,my sons and their children and we spend thousands of dollars there. We have always been treated with respect and likewise we have always treated the people who live on the island with respect. And just like in California where you have rotten apples once or twice in these 12 years we’ve been cussed out by a local Hawaiians,but we just chalk it up to the fact there are rude people everywhere. It is such a rare occurrence we don’t let it stop us. We always come towards the end of October and we are praying that we get to have our annual trip this year.
    Where I live in California we also rely heavily on the tourist coming over from the inland areas to our coastline. We have been under lockdown here for over 2 months now and nobody likes it. I’m hoping that the islands get spared and would not want to come there and be part of the problem. hopefully clearer minds will prevail and we can all go back to enjoying your beautiful island.

  27. We have had a trip booked to Kauai since January. We will arrive the end of August. We go to Hawaii at least once a year, often twice. We usually go to Maui. We love Hawaii and we try to spread Aloha Spirit where ever we go. My question is, Will the beaches be open to us? Will restaurants be open? We don’t want to go to Kauai and be forced to stay in our room. Or is it too soon to say?
    I even started a project called
    Heroheadbands.com We make and donate headbands to healthcare workers and First Responders. We have donated over 1500 ! Our team is called Arizona Aloha Spirit 🌺
    Thank you, Janet

  28. My wife and I love Hawai’i. We have been coming since 1982 when we spent our honeymoon in Kihie and it is still one of our favorite spots. We have been to Kauai, Maui, the big island (in fact we were just in Kona in January) and of course Ohau. We have always been treated well by locals and in turn have always been friendly and respectful. Hawai’i will survive and thrive again. I am sure of that. We will be back in October and have already booked a condo in Wailea for May 2021!

  29. Hawaii may end up like Venice…one more place that griped about the golden goose until the goose didn’t want to come visit any longer.

    So much hate and negativity from locals doesn’t help the overall “Aloha” spirit.

    Thanks.

  30. I love Hawaii and have been coming for years, I also am thinking of looking for other destinations to consider. I’m concerned not only by the attitude of the locals, but by measures taken by your state government against the local people, such as closing beaches and traffic check points.

  31. I am still holding out hope for joining you in September. I know time will tell and I can cancel at almost the last minute but it is what is keeping me going during all this. I too live in a tourist town in CA where they are discouraging tourism and I believe right now it is justified. I know it will return here and will for you too. The Aloha spirit is alive and well, it is the airports and planes I fear, but the pull is still strong for me. Mahalo

  32. My spouse and I have been long-time lovers of Hawaii, enough to buy time share units that ensure frequent stays. It is disheartening and somewhat shocking to read in several places that visitors are not welcome, are seen as a problem for the local communities still stinging from the absorption of Hawaii into the US as a territory then as a state. We have traditionally been treated with kindness and welcome by nearly everyone. To feel that this is a façade and it’s only the dollars we bring that counts is a reason to rethink future visits. There are many beautiful places in the world and Hawaii is indeed spectacular, but it’s not the only spectacular locale and there are many places where we would be truly welcome, not just the money we bring. No one knows what the future brings but I do hope it brings a change in attitude and demonstration of true aloha.

  33. I am a white male from Alaska and I’ve been coming to Hawaii since the late 70s and I love Hawaii the people and the culture and I’ve always been treated properly it’s a respect thing so I hope everything gets back to normal I would love to come visit again

  34. We have a long-scheduled Maui trip planned for late July, hoping circumstances still allow us to come. After about 25 Hawaiian vacations… I’ve experienced anti-tourist hostility twice… So I guess on average, those odds aren’t TOO bad. But it does seem like the current situation amplifies the voices of those who hate tourists.

  35. Again, we have been to Kauai and other islands well over a dozen times. We love the islands and people. The only times we have had unpleasant times was because of another tourist acting like a jerk.
    Even though our trip was put on hold due to thise, we cant wait to get back and enjoy the Aloha spirit. It is to bad a few cant take responsibility, but they dont represent the whole.

    Aloha to everyone!

  36. It is very unsettling to hear that a lot of residents on the islands really dislike tourists. While I can understand that having disrespectful visitors is troublesome, not all of us visitors disrespect the island and it’s residents. We, for example, try very hard to support local businesses while we are on the island, leave the beaches cleaner than when we got there, and use only reef safe sunblock to preserve the amazing ocean we love so much. Hawaii (Maui in particular) is soothing for my soul. I’d live there if I could afford it. It’s just not in the cards for now but I love it there and hope to visit the island and the aloha I miss so much.

  37. We completely understand and respect the precautions being taken regarding visitors to Hawaii. We are NW Washington state residents and we plan on visiting as soon as we safely can. It bums me out that others can’t look beyond themselves and see that Hawaii is looking out for their own greater good. Aloha!

  38. We were supposed to come out in March, but obviously had to cancel. While we didn’t get a full refund as part of our trip was via VRBO, we did get a credit for future use.

    We have rebooked our trip to come in September and are really hoping it will happen. Just as much as Hawai’i needs visitors, we also need that break to relax and refresh after a strange year (though we have been luckier than most).

    I’d be interested to know when you think things will return to some degree of normalcy. Is September realistic?

  39. It possibly will be several months and maybe even a year or two before I try to return to Hawaii. In the meantime all your businesses and residents who depend on tourists will start feeling it financially. Is this what you really want? So long !!

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