Hawaii vacation demand is strong. Yet big concerns remain about rules, health, safety, and lost travel dollars.
144 thoughts on “Hawaii Travel Upended By Concerns And Cancellations Amid Latest COVID Surge”
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Home » Blog » Hawaii Travel Tips » Hawaii Travel Upended By Concerns And Cancellations Amid Latest COVID Surge
it’s easy to complain about the bread and butter that is tourism when a family can make ner $100k on unemployment..
Let’s see what the sentiment is this winter… Christmas presents don’t pay for themselves.
Hello Sean.
Excellent point.
Lots of that here on the mainland as well. Positions available signs at many many businesses but no takers.
Let’s see what the sentiment is when extended unemployment and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation end and energy policy and inflation driven price increases start to bite.
I am going to wait until November to decide whether to visit. I have travel insurance but my VBRO rental sayys Covid is not a valid reason for canceling.
Wow Joyce, I think that covid is a good reason to cancel. VBRO….this is a health crisis.
Thank you for always providing great information. We had hoped to visit Maui this last summer, but we postponed our plans indefinitely as we figured the mass amount of visitors along with all the covid policies would make things simply not what we desire out of the vacation. We plan to wait it out, what that means exactly is somewhat TBD. We have no current plans to take the shots, and have no desire to visit while the state is struggling to keep up with the number o travelers.
It appears that more than a few, including Hawaii’s government, are receiving their wish.
files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/economic/data_reports/special/total/Total-Aug21.pdf
A comparison of daily air passenger count (excluding Canada and inter-island passengers) in Hawaii between 1 August, 2021 and 31 August, 2021, show a decline from 35,555 passengers on the 1st to 16,924 on the 31st.
Further review indicates an accelerating loss trend occurring in the second half of the month.
What is unclear is whether the trend continues, how long it may continue, and where the bottom is.
“Deja Vu All Over Again”
― Yogi Berra
I have a trip to Maui booked in October, but am seriously considering canceling due to constantly changing pre-arrival requirements and restrictions once there. There are just too many things that could go wrong and ruin an expensive vacation. My sister and I like to take a trip every October, often to Hawaii, but might be staying closer to home again this year. 😢
Thanks for keeping us updated!
Thanks for your regular updates. We are continuing with our plans to fly from Oakland to Lihue this Saturday and we’re expecting to have a wonderful relaxing time at our timeshare in Poipu beach. Mahalo!
We just returned from Kauai after 18 days. 4 days in Princeville then 14 days in Poipu.
Vaccinated?
Get your wrist band from the airline at your check in or gate and you can walk right thru at the Lihue airport baggage claim.
Have your QR code for car rental and for your check in at the resort. Then that’s it!
Other than trying to get restaurant reservations, it was mostly like the 17 years before 2020 for us.
Car rental? Since we’re moving there, we already shipped a car.
Just remember, don’t be impatient with the people who have shown up to work!
Just like here on the mainland those waiting on the government free money to dry up have not gone back to work. A sign at the Chicken in a Barrel in Hanalei offered $35hr pay! Jo Jo’s shaved ice was closed at 12 noon on a Saturday.
Aloha BOH Bro’s
I’ll try and keep it under 2000 characters.
From all my reading on BOH and other travel sites many who postponed travel to Hawaii have reached the end of their grace periods.
It’s either use it or lose it, so the majority of those folks are coming.
I truly believe that most posters on BOH and other travel sites tend to be responsible travelers and older, like over 60. My thought is a majority of folks traveling to Hawaii now verses last summer are over 60, responsible and vaccinated.
As per vaccine passports, we’ve been on convention to Hawaii many times you’re constantly asked for your lanyard with convention ID to enter restaurants and meetings located on property.
So I dug up a couple of old convention lanyards and plan on shoving our CDC vac’s cards in the plastic cover and pretend we’re at a convention.
Pick your fights carefully folks we’re required to show ID everywhere these days one more card isn’t throwing away our rights.
Canceled first trip to Big Island for early November. Too much uncertainty.
Dear Craig, Since the cases are so high right now I don’t feel comfortable traveling anywhere where the cases so I’ve decided to postpone my 1st trip for the 3rd time.
I’ve postponed for 2023
Cancelled my November trip. To much vacillation by the governor, lt governor, and mayors. Nobody seems to have a clue about anything.
It would appear we will cancel for the 3rd year in a row as Hawaii has effectively shut down family travel as children are not able to be vaccinated. All of the ever changing and inconsistent policies do not make me want to come back. I have been an annual visitor the the islands for over 25 years. As the islands made a choice to become totally reliant on tourism, I do not feel making things as difficult and expensive as possible is in their best interests, yet that is what is happening. My vacation dollars may well be spent elsewhere!
Vaccine passports are absolutely ludicrous. The only variant out there is delta. The vaccines have proven to do little to protect against it, and do nothing to stop the spread. So implementation of a passport system does nothing. It is counterproductive if a negative test is not required along with it. We have been going to Kauai for 20 years, usually twice a year. We will not get the experimental vaccine. If required we will dump our timeshare and quit going, because one required they will probably never eliminate the requirement. It is too bad it has come to this. The anti science approach is destroying the Hawaiian economy.
First, the vaccines have been shown to be very effective at preventing severe COVID. That is exactly the problem that that Hawaii is trying to solve. Their hospitals are being overrun by the unvaccinated. Many of the COVID “surges” have been via restaurants, therefore, only allowing people who are vaccinated to work or eat in restaurants makes perfect sense. Next, the Phizer vaccine has received full FDA authorization (no longer emergency authorization), so if your hesentency is about using an “experimental” drug, get the Phizer vaccine and you’re good to go.
It was and still is an experimental vaccine – the current human trials are not over until 2023. It normally takes 8-10 years to get a vaccine approved by the FDA and this vaccine was approved in less than a year – the long term effects are still unknown. This is not your traditional vaccine which uses an attenuated virus but a synthetic gene-based vaccine – This experimental vaccine was never tested on humans until now. It skipped the animal trials and was tested on humans for only two months before granted EUA. Good luck on finding the FDA approved Comirnaty – since the supply of Comirnaty is limited and there is still a huge stockpile of the EUA vaccine, the FDA has authorized its use interchangeably with the EUA vaccine. With an approved vaccine, the drug company can be sued for injury or death from the vaccine, not so with an EUA vaccine. I’m willing to bet Pfizer is going to see if they can get liability protection (like the EUA vaccine) on the approved vaccine before they will manufacture more.
Bye!
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
Hi Cyndie T.
Thank you for your sage advice about swinging doors. Doors can sometimes do surprising things.
I think it was just last year when a few of us were finishing up leaving through a doorway when all of a sudden the door flew back and hit the owner right in the hip on the wallet. Terrible injury. Very expensive, and I’m not sure if there has been a full recovery or not.
Don’t worry, we’ll watch out for that door behind us.
“Look on every exit as being an entrance somewhere else.”
― Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
This is the third time we have planned this trip. It was a gift from my daughter,and has become a huge headache. Each time we have had to reschedule and lose money. We are fully vaccinated, very healthy, older citizens. We are supposed to be there in October. We have just a short time to pull the plug,I don’t know what to do!
Dear Ava, yes it definitely is a big mess for everyone. I’ve postponed my 1st trip to Hawaii 3 times & now I’ve decided for 2023. The 3rd time is the charm, lol!! I just don’t feel comfortable traveling where cases are so high. I figure Hawaii isn’t going anywhere, so I can wait. Am disappointed but this is the smartest & safest choice I can make for myself & others. Yes I agree with you that it is definitely mind boggling trying to plan a trip to Hawaii with the covid! 😐 Stay strong & you will go to Hawaii when it is meant for you to go. That is what some of my friends & family are telling me! Stay safe & be blessed 😇pslams 91:11 & 118:14 🐢🐠🌺🍍🥥🌏✈💺🌞🌈🌊🕶👙🛍🩴👒
Thank you to Carl E and others like you for staying home and making my upcoming trip safer and more pleasant. I will happily provide proof of vaccination and contribute to Kauai’s economy.
Hello Carl…perhaps you should stay away from doors and doorways as well.