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

  1. We come to Oahu every year and are caring tourists, we respect the culture, people, land, and sea. It costs over $6,000 for four of us for 1 week from Montana. We could go anywhere in the world, but we love Hawaii. The biggest problem is you have sold most of the land off so there is very little agriculture, and foreign companies own alot of property. Hawaii created a monster they could not control, they grew tourism so big that it has exhausted the Aina and the people. What other reason do people have to come to Hawaii? It’s expensive to live,taxes and maintenance fees are high,electricity is outrageous, it’s not business friendly, drugs and homelessness continues to grow, everything has to be shipped in, yet you continue to build more and more skyscrapers choking the view. I hope a solution can be found. We will return once again, someday.

  2. We spend 6+ weeks in Hawaii every year… it feels like our second home. Our children only know family vacations in Hawaii.
    But- we are seriously reconsidering our next trip. Mexico or our own backyard of the Pacific Northwest might be better options with all that I am hearing and reading.

    1. I can’t imagine Mexico as an alternative to Hawaii or the Pacific Northwest, or anywhere in the USA. ‘Nuf said.

    2. Can’t seem to stop the email thread replies – not able to see that option on my account info. Can you take me off?
      Mahalo!
      Kelly

      1. Hi Kelly.

        That’s turned off. For future reference, you can go to the post you are getting emails about. Scroll down to comments and you’ll see the manage link.

        Aloha.

    3. Please stop sending me thread replies from this post. Can’t seem to do this on my account
      Mahalo

      1. Hi Kelly.

        We deleted that when you wrote earlier and we no longer find you in that database. For future reference, the unsubscribe link is located on each email notification you receive as well as in the comment section of the post for which you subscribed.

        Aloha.

  3. I think the State and the Mayors have done the right thing. People need to grow up. Some clown signs the form, promises to self isolate and then posts pictures of himself breaking the law, gets what he deserves.

    In the long run what vacationers want is somewhere beautiful that is healthy and safe. Far better to tell visitors to behave like adults than have coffins lined up at HNL to be flown back to the mainland and Japan.

    Remember a lot of visitors are retired and in vulnerable groups.

    So what if the hacks are looking for a story. They are attacking the States that open up and they attack Hawai’i for being cautious. They are after a story not trying to analyze what is best for folks.

    Keep Hawai’i safe and get people to act like adults.

    1. I agree that behaving like adults is a prominent point. Which behavior I would say includes being responsible for one’s actions. On that count, it appears to me that the elder and vulnerable adults are susceptible to tragic outcomes from any flu, so wouldn’t they and their families be the ones to exercise the most restraint instead of requiring everyone else to do so? It also appears that the more data we have about this, the lower the mortality rate. And with it a given that hygiene and respect for others are always required, so is, for most of us, working and making a living. Ultimately, living on this earth requires love and faith while reasonably confronting fear and death. Hawaii probably is as close to heaven on earth as we get, but being on earth as it is requires the mundane of work, travel, and commerce. Mahalo for Hawaii.

  4. A parable: Let’s say that your household has been isolating and you’re vi rus free, and now your friends who’ve been touring the country want to come and stay wit you for a couple weeks. How would you feel? Then let’s say that you told them you love them but it’s not safe for your family, and you have elderly who live with you. You’d be happy to have them over when it’s safe, but not now. Your friends tell you that you have no aloha, and they might not ever come back.

  5. I had a trip planned to Maui later this year. I canceled the trip and booked it to a different country. I generally try to go to Hawaii 2 to 3 times a year And not sure I’m going back anytime soon after reading all the comments about how the locals really feel. It’s one thing if you don’t need the tourists but it’s another thing it your livelihood depends on it so your taking the tourists money in one hand and flipping them off with the other. For the time being I’m going to choose to not be putting the money in their hand and Spending it elsewhere with people more accommodating. I’m not saying that I don’t take Co vid seriously. I understand the lockdown however I don’t understand all the negative sentiment Especially when you’re supposed to be the aloha state.

  6. I’m regularly engaged with residents living in Hawaii mostly Maui. There’s been spirited discussions on the shutdown, 14 day quar antining of tourist, over tourism and what we’d like to see going forward.

    As with any subject matter as large as this emotions run high on both sides. Those who would like to see the islands go back to the old quieter days to those who want things to be as they were before shutdown.

    The one thing we all agree on is Hawaii has an economy that relies to heavy on the tourist industry dollar a fault of their own. The great recession of 2009 exposed Hawaii to that issue, but instead of investing in a more business friendly environment like Texas and Nevada Hawaii chose to double down on bring back tourism as the quickest way of digging out of recession.

    It worked, but at a cost. Aloha spirit has suffered, traffic jams, trespassing by tourist, the surge of transplants moving to the islands has caused the cost of living to skyrocket and contributed to housing shortages.

    After several weeks of discussion many living on the islands have come to to realization that there will be no quick fix that any changes will come with time. They’re taking this period to enjoy something that isn’t going to last long the Hawaii they remembered the Hawaii they love.

    Hana is a good example the highway is closed and the town isn’t over run with tourist, but they also know it isn’t economically feasible. When the federal and state unemployment dollars dry up the town will be in dire straits. Tourism will have to return.

    Lets take the time to reflect on whats important family, health and financial stability. Lets put on their shoes and walk a mile with them to better understand the frustration many are feeling.

    For the most part we all want whats good for the islands and for the people living their.

  7. Me and wife had a trip planned in late July for our 25th anniversary. We have been looking forward to it so long. We were still considering coming after the restrictions eased up. After seeing the Hawaii’s local government was speaking about treating visitors, we cancelled. Not sure we will ever make it to Hawaii now. We travel all over the world and and I felt more unwelcomed in Hawaii than any place we’d ever been or thought about going. Hawaii definitely has some work to do on the PR front.

  8. As a former resident of Hawaii and grandma-to-be of a Maui baby, it won’t take much convincing for me to return later this year. I miss my family and friends but I won’t go if lockdown measures, mandatory testing and tracking are in place. I am saddened to see some locals not showing a spirit of aloha. I’ve always felt loved and welcomed and hope on my return trips I will find aloha just as I left it.

  9. I was actually happy to read this article because I was starting to feel like the only one that felt like the greatness of Hawaii was gone. We have been so excited to go because I have been there several times, my mom was raised there and my grandpa still lives there. It would be our first time for our daughters. I read Hawaii news daily and follow several Facebook groups to keep up with what’s happening with this But I constantly hear negative comments from people that live there and I feel like nobody would want us to be there and I’m kind of afraid to go and get harassed while we are there. We are quiet respectful people that only want to literally spend our money there and sit on a beach. But I am very nervous because it just feels so unwelcoming right now. It’s very sad because Hawaii has always been my favorite place on earth. But I guess me, like other people have considered going somewhere else where I don’t have to be nervous about feeling bad for being there. We are supposed to be going in July so I hope things change. I just feel anxious about the whole trip as of now. Not because of the vi rus but because of the people there.

  10. I am on several Facebook Hawaii groups and although most of the locals are patient and understanding of most of the inane questions tourists ask, there are some who are definitely not displaying the Aloha spirit, so much that several group moderators have had to make pleas for everyone to play nice.

    For us, we have rescheduled our two weeks on Kauai (we should be there right now) for May 2021 and we are hoping that is not being too optimistic. We are making back up plans to visit places on the mainland we’ve never been (would you believe I am almost 70 and never been to either New Orleans or Yellowstone) in the event our Hawaiian plans fall through.

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