74 thoughts on “Hawaii Travel Free Fall | Tourism CEO’s Sudden Departure”

  1. Hawaii is full of people bashing tourists, it happens to me nearly every time I post to one of the Hawaii Facebook groups. Right now, you are dependent on tourists and that needs to change. But in order to change, you are going to need money, and right now, tourism means money. I hear there are many young people who want to farm and ranch, is that true? I don’t know many young people who want to do that. Revamp and modernize that sugar mill on Hansen Rd in Maui, make it cheaper to make sugar local than it is to ship it in. Create hoteling businesses that are office space for remote workers that offer secure internet, phone, other amenities, so that people can work remotely for mainland companies. The time difference could help solve the problem of finding second shift workers. Going to have to get creative to get away from dependence on tourism, but first you need tourism back. I finally got my family to go to Hawaii for the first time in March. Now they see all this and are saying never again, California and Mexico and even the Caribbean are closer, cheaper, and most importantly, OPENING UP. Your governor needs to get out in the sunshine and make some rational decisions before it is too late.

    1. Thank you Mary K. I agree 100 percent. Hawaii is off on the worst possible track by again not thinking before opening thier mouths to say no aloha to tourists, not opening up, and policies and draconian rules. They want to protect all with an indefinite lockdown and tourist ban but cant see the cure is worse than the disease/virus. Respect the tourists and honor them. Be grateful if they ever visit again. Instead hawaii acts like a out of control child telling usa citizens they all cant follow quar antine rules so dont come.

      Hawaii is sick and needs intervention desperately. The situation is dire as many have stated but hawaii is also in denial of that. Wake up hawaii!

    2. If you come to California, please follow the rules. We are *not* fully open and we don’t need people coming in here breaking the rules. Bring your masks, because they are required in stores and shops (many of which are still closed). Keep your distance, because the 6-foot rule is still in place. Hawai’i has been very successful with their rules (one of the lowest death rates in the US or indeed the world) and they are to be congratulated. As for Mexico, you might be surprised if you go. Their C0VID rates have been lower than the US and many Mexicans see C0VID as an unwelcome gringo import. Therefore, the gringos often find themselves unwelcome as well. Oh, and stay out of the many areas that are too dangerous due to drug gangs. The world isn’t a great big Disneyland anymore (if it ever was).

  2. It is a loss for Hawaii to have such a qualified travel leader leave this state!!! Hawaii is indeed in a lot of trouble, when the cure is worse than the desease, it’s time to change and take a chance and open up travel…the suggestion to have potential visitors do pre testing just prior to boarding flights is a good idea. We need to have our tourists return!!! People are starving, people have no money to live, many are at the end of their rope…we need to get back to work…please Governor Ige, open up Hawaii now or we will not survive. Thank you

  3. It should be a dream job – but how many CEOs has Hawaii Tourism Authority has in the last decade? The problems there are clearly deeper than the chief executive. An audit might be interesting.

    Rather than a travel industry expert who would simply deepen our reliance on a single industry, I’d like to see the next CEO have a background in community resilience and sustainable economies, someone that would help keep tourism healthy while widely diversifying how we all feed our families.

    1. You are right. Sadly, it’s all about big money and easy money. Roberts Tours, JTB, big hotel chains, etc. will do whatever it takes to keep their golden goose. I’ve watched both Waikiki and the North Shore get increasingly commercialized and homogenized over the years. It’s sad, and it was unnecessary. And of course the other islands aren’t immune, either. The state has done some good studies for industry diversification, but there’s not much indication that anything will be done.

  4. As I’ve said in other Beat of Hawaii posts, Until Governor Ige can figure out how to govern, airlines need to offer refunds to those who plan to travel within the next few months. I find it abominable what He is doing to the great Hawaiian people and think they should start a recall petition! They suffer and will continue to do so from his incompetence!

    1. Enough with the political complaining. This is a travel site. Everyone is free to campaign, support candidates, and vote. Right now, about 70% of voters in HI support the quarantine and related measures. Complain to them. This isn’t the venue.

  5. Aloha!
    Wanted to let you and your readers know I had a very positive experience w/HA when my RT flight to Boston scheduled for 2 June was cancelled. Based on comments from other readers, I had contacted HA via Fb messaging. When I rec’d the May 20 email cancelling the flight, I messaged HA and then downloaded the Refund form on their website. The full cash refund was credited to my MC on 01 June. They emailed me saying that points I’d used to upgrade would take about another three weeks to return to my mileage account. Hope this info helps other readers. I did cancel a Sept/Oct flight, but voluntarily took a credit.

      1. We had to reschedule a month vacation in Maui for October.
        Any positive thoughts on allowing tourists visiting in October?

    1. Consider yourself lucky. Hawaiian Airlines changed my booking of LAX-OGG direct to one that connected in Honolulu. Conveniently for them, the LAX-HNL and HNL-OGG flights never canceled, so they refused to refund our money. We were going first class so it’s a good sum of money. Of course, the hotels were no longer wanting to have guests, which is understandable, so our villas got canceled. I felt like Hawaiian was underhanded. But what do they care? Answer: They don’t. Over $3500 of our money just held in their bank account. SMH. It’s unreal.

      1. Jackie, I just went through this today. HA cancelled my direct flight and rebooked me on a layover flight through Honolulu without asking me. When I went to cancel they initially refused the refund (4 1st class tickets). This is actually illegal and against DOT airline regulations. I escalated to a manager and they agreed to refund my money minus a change fee of $50 a ticket. Still illegal but I took the refund minus the $200. Another travel blog advised that we should file a complaint with federal Department of Transportation AND dispute the charge with your credit card company. I did both. Hope this helps.

        Interestingly, the HA employee told me that the governor asked them to cancel the direct flights to other islands and run them through Honolulu. I guess it bothers me this being done behind closed doors. The governor needs to just be open and upfront with what his plan is. All of these changes and mixed signals are not good. Disrespectful of everyone’s time. If his plan is to force everyone’s direct flight through HON for whatever reason, he needs to declare this to the public. And HA needs to stop pretending that they don’t need to give refunds for cancelled flights.

  6. Don’t worry Citizens of Hawaii….keep voting Democrat!

    We’re bound to get lucky one of these days and get an actual Leader.

      1. Free Hawaiian resident hostages!

        Oops, PC “Hawai’ian“
        Free speech
        Ur creed: shut up and obey

  7. Someone that knows tourism is leaving because they know that it’s bad. I don’t blame him. I would not want to be associated with a governor that is going to completely ruin the economy.Not giving any dates for people to even plan a vacation will not work. Plz give a date so people don’t lose more than they allready have!

    1. Please educate yourself on travel and quar antine restrictions in other states, riots on the mainland, etc. Then compare that to the situation in HI.

  8. Oh holy moly.
    My gosh, can anything else go awry?
    The guy who wants to never open the islands to tourists is now the de-facto person in charge.
    Mahalo for this information Beat of Hawai’i and may God help us all.

  9. The Author states “ Hawaii travel stakeholders have privately shared with us their concerns about HTA and the state’s abilities, leadership, and direction in tourism for years. ”

    I share all those concerns as a resident and tourist before that to Hawaii. C0vid was like pouring gasoline on the fire or the volcano erupting 🌋. Incompetent leadership, now with c0vid. 19 ways to mess up your life, with a bonus 1%. Chance of death.

    It seems like the tourists are floyd 💀 and the native Hawaiians have become the ultra left wing police 🚔 In other words the reverse of what is happening in the continental usa, or mainland. Arresting tourists going to the grocery store is not acceptable.

    1. I don’t think it’s appropriate to compare the murder of a black individual to the struggles Hawaiian tourists face.

      1. There seem to be a lot of people badmouthing any efforts to prudently reopen Hawaii, all with complaints about government or other things that aren’t relevant. Please kokua and keep the politics out of it! And if you have a good idea otherwise, we’d like to hear it!

    2. Arresting scofflaws endangering others is not only acceptable, it’s desirable. Those who refuse to follow the rules (which also apply to returning residents) should pay the price.

      1. Glad u arent in chg of containing the Country’s rioting n looting—or scoflaws— as you de minimus the situation.

    1. Why market something you don’t have? That is a place for tourists. Since the average tourist came for 5 to 10 days they are no longer allowed and will be arrested on sight. Residents are encouraged to snitch on them. A worse situation could not exist unless you had an outbreak of the vi rus on Hawaii. So no $300K job and no $55 million budget is necessary. BTW word of mouth is not marketing for multi million dollar properties. It takes big bucks to bring in people to fill these properties. But they will be available on the cheap soon. After they all go bankrupt from lack of occupancy.

      1. “A worse situation could not exist unless you had an outbreak of the virus on Hawaii.”
        So your solution is to let people come pouring in and get that outbreak? HI has one of the lowest death rates (by far) in the US. And you want that to change? Frightening.
        It’s so revealing to see all the irate comments by people who want HI to be a big outdoor theme park and they’re upset that it’s not.

    2. Totally agree. Get rid of HTA all together! Hawaii doesnt need marketing for goodness sake. I liked the idea of each island organizing small roundtable discussions on how we can bounce back from this. Here on Maui’s Westside, which is total tourism, we should be able to give our input on how to welcome guests back properly. Then from that, give our input to our mayor. Kauai is already kind of doing that, other islands should follow.

      I wonder if Ige reads Beat of Hawaii threads? He should….

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