Hawaii Tourism Not Starting Up Until Late Summer

Well we have to respect their wishes as much as it sucks not being able to vacation on what to my mind is the most beautiful place I have been to. I suspect though once the unemployment cheques stop this fall they will start taking a few more risks and make a way for tourists to come back. I myself am from Vancouver and while the lower population of tourists is really nice the fact that I will not be unloading any cruise ships this year is not worth the trade off. That is a great, clean, high paying job for a lot of us longshoreman.
 
I suspect though once the unemployment cheques stop this fall they will start taking a few more risks and make a way for tourists to come back.
The state is officially at 22.3% overall with Kauai and Maui both over 33% for the April numbers. The May numbers are tracking to be over 30% overall with Kauai and Maui being over 40%. That does not seem sustainable for long.

There have been multiple reports of residents being harassed when out and about because they are mistaken for tourists breaking the quarantine. I would not want to be in the first batch of tourists.

I don't think tourists will be welcomed back by residents despite the devastation to the local economy.
 


There have been multiple reports of residents being harassed when out and about because they are mistaken for tourists breaking the quarantine. I would not want to be in the first batch of tourists.

I don't think tourists will be welcomed back by residents despite the devastation to the local economy.

We are currently scheduled for Kauai in September and have been trying to hold out and see how things shape up, but honestly, after statements like this I fully expect to take my tourist dollars elsewhere. And I am not attacking what you said kdonnel, I have seen many other comments like this. It just bothers me that Hawaii has taken on such a "us vs. them" mentality. However, I can see it to a point given they are secluded on islands in the middle of the ocean. I really don't think Hawaii is the end-all, be-all of places to visit anyway. We have been to all the islands numerous times over the years and have seen a decline in the atmosphere and friendliness. Now whether that is from the influx of tourists, or the locals, i have no idea.
 
You have to be crazy to travel to Hawaii anytime before next year. It’s obvious that the state doesn’t want visitors and they are about to extend the quarantine order for visitors. Save your points and visit maybe next year when you are welcome back to Hawaii with that Aloha spirit.
 
I was hoping to reschedule our Aulani/Waikiki May 2020 trip to May 2021 but now I think we will push it off to May 2022. My big concern is what condition will Hawaii be at that time? So much of the allure for us is the smaller businesses, the food trucks, etc. I fear a lot of these treasures will not be able to withstand the storm.
 


We are currently scheduled for Kauai in September and have been trying to hold out and see how things shape up, but honestly, after statements like this I fully expect to take my tourist dollars elsewhere. And I am not attacking what you said kdonnel, I have seen many other comments like this. It just bothers me that Hawaii has taken on such a "us vs. them" mentality. However, I can see it to a point given they are secluded on islands in the middle of the ocean. I really don't think Hawaii is the end-all, be-all of places to visit anyway. We have been to all the islands numerous times over the years and have seen a decline in the atmosphere and friendliness. Now whether that is from the influx of tourists, or the locals, i have no idea.
Parts of Hawaii have not been 100% tourist friendly even before this event.

I know that there are many places in the Caribbean that are just as nice and so much closer to me on the east coast. I have truly enjoyed all my trips to Hawaii but I think I will stick to the Caribbean or Central America for my exotic beach vacations for a while.
 
We just booked for November, everything including flights are fully refundable/changeable. Couldn't pass up $350 RT from Phoenix. We can always cancel later.
 
The state is officially at 22.3% overall with Kauai and Maui both over 33% for the April numbers. The May numbers are tracking to be over 30% overall with Kauai and Maui being over 40%. That does not seem sustainable for long.

There have been multiple reports of residents being harassed when out and about because they are mistaken for tourists breaking the quarantine. I would not want to be in the first batch of tourists.

I don't think tourists will be welcomed back by residents despite the devastation to the local economy.

It is the unfortunate xenophobic behavior toward "mainlanders" and "visitors" portrayed through the media reports throughout Hawaii that is very troubling. I can only hope that the media is not portraying Hawaii accurately in these reports. We were planning on visiting late this summer, but it will be quite sometime before I feel comfortable taking my family to Hawaii.
 
It is the unfortunate xenophobic behavior toward "mainlanders" and "visitors" portrayed through the media reports throughout Hawaii that is very troubling. I can only hope that the media is not portraying Hawaii accurately in these reports. We were planning on visiting late this summer, but it will be quite sometime before I feel comfortable taking my family to Hawaii.
So why would someone still want to visit? Not being argumentative but reading this thread, I don’t understand why tourists with attitudes like this still want to go to Hawaii? What’s the appeal for you?
 
It is the unfortunate xenophobic behavior toward "mainlanders" and "visitors" portrayed through the media reports throughout Hawaii that is very troubling. I can only hope that the media is not portraying Hawaii accurately in these reports. We were planning on visiting late this summer, but it will be quite sometime before I feel comfortable taking my family to Hawaii.
it both is and isn't true...if you had to give it a single name...xenophobic kinda fits...if you take a bit more time to understand what it actually is for many...it only fits if you absolutely have to have a 1 size fits all term, or for media puproses...click bait.

it is 100% true that you can find some people in hawaii that would like nothing more than for every tourist to leave and never come back (there aren't many...but they do exist...and have been around for a very long time)...some times they have very detailed reasons why...sometimes not.

when you hear about residents being mistaken for tourists...its more about behavior and actions than it is about where someone is from. many of the things residents blame on tourists...aren't even things tourists do...they just seem like things tourists would do (its kind of a "if you grew up here you would know better"...but in reality...no...many don't know better). in this regard someone who's lived in hawaii for their entire life could very well be mistaken for a tourist while someone who visits once a year or every other year could be mistaken for a resident.

the current situation with "residents vs. tourists" isn't really accurate as well...it would be more accurate to say its residents wanting to feel safe and not having confidence in their local government to be able to provide it...so some have turned to trying to get tourists to stay away (since repeated failures to enforce policies show little signs of improvement.)

for those thinking that "crushing debt" due to job losses will do much to change the opinions of the majority of hawaii...crushing debt is pretty much normal and very much widespread. what happens when it becomes too much for people...they move to another state.
 
We just booked for November, everything including flights are fully refundable/changeable. Couldn't pass up $350 RT from Phoenix. We can always cancel later.
We are going in November as well - Thanksgiving week - re-booked from May. Trying to stay positive although its hard sometimes reading everything on these boards. I just keep telling myself that SO much can change in 6 months. :)
 
Parts of Hawaii have not been 100% tourist friendly even before this event.

I know that there are many places in the Caribbean that are just as nice and so much closer to me on the east coast. I have truly enjoyed all my trips to Hawaii but I think I will stick to the Caribbean or Central America for my exotic beach vacations for a while

We have noticed a lot more of the "Sovereign State of Hawaii" flags flying when we went there the last few times. We felt very uncomfortable in many parts of Oahu and I was perplexed given it is a US STATE!
I am with you that the Caribbean is far prettier and some of the beaches in Florida are nicer than beaches in HI. I, too, have enjoyed our trips to Hawaii, but I think we are going to start going mainly to Caribbean and Florida areas. Flying to the east coast for us is just as long as flying to Hawaii, so it doesn't matter to us. Plus the Caribbean and Florida tend to be less expensive as far as food and entertainment goes.
 
So why would someone still want to visit? Not being argumentative but reading this thread, I don’t understand why tourists with attitudes like this still want to go to Hawaii? What’s the appeal for you?
Personally, I think Hawaii's beautiful landscape and tropical weather is a big draw for many visitors. I love to visit different parts of the world that look different from where I live (Colorado), but at the same time I don't want to feel like I am intruding when I am visiting.
 
it both is and isn't true...if you had to give it a single name...xenophobic kinda fits...if you take a bit more time to understand what it actually is for many...it only fits if you absolutely have to have a 1 size fits all term, or for media puproses...click bait.

it is 100% true that you can find some people in hawaii that would like nothing more than for every tourist to leave and never come back (there aren't many...but they do exist...and have been around for a very long time)...some times they have very detailed reasons why...sometimes not.

when you hear about residents being mistaken for tourists...its more about behavior and actions than it is about where someone is from. many of the things residents blame on tourists...aren't even things tourists do...they just seem like things tourists would do (its kind of a "if you grew up here you would know better"...but in reality...no...many don't know better). in this regard someone who's lived in hawaii for their entire life could very well be mistaken for a tourist while someone who visits once a year or every other year could be mistaken for a resident.

the current situation with "residents vs. tourists" isn't really accurate as well...it would be more accurate to say its residents wanting to feel safe and not having confidence in their local government to be able to provide it...so some have turned to trying to get tourists to stay away (since repeated failures to enforce policies show little signs of improvement.)

for those thinking that "crushing debt" due to job losses will do much to change the opinions of the majority of hawaii...crushing debt is pretty much normal and very much widespread. what happens when it becomes too much for people...they move to another state.
Thanks for the clarifications. I suspect we are seeing the media amplifying a situation that may not be as prevalent throughout Hawaii as the media is currently portraying. I do think that when the state reopens to visitors that any effort by state and local communities that voices a welcoming tone to encourage vistors to return (from wherever they come from) will go a long way to helping rebuild the tourism industry in the state.
 
It is the unfortunate xenophobic behavior toward "mainlanders" and "visitors" portrayed through the media reports throughout Hawaii that is very troubling. I can only hope that the media is not portraying Hawaii accurately in these reports. We were planning on visiting late this summer, but it will be quite sometime before I feel comfortable taking my family to Hawaii.

The media has been sensationalizing the anti-tourist sentiment. The vitriol is focused on the small handful of visitors who are knowingly breaking the 14 day quarantine.

However, you're 100% correct about the "unfortunate xenophobic behavior" and it's disgusting. This is an exert from a Civil Beat article (https://www.civilbeat.org/2020/05/tensions-grow-over-how-and-when-to-reopen-tourism/) that was published this morning:

One idea repeatedly discussed was that Japanese travelers would simply be better than those from the U.S. continent: they would spend more and follow the rules, according to the senators.

“U.S. citizens tend to not want to follow these rules,” said Sen. Donna Mercado Kim.

Keohokalole added that high-spending Japanese tourists are preferable to “wannabe Instagram influencers from the West Coast who are staying in illegal vacation rentals and blatantly violating the quarantine.”



Donna Kim is a serious, long-time power player and one of the most influential state-level politicians. For her to say something like that . . . SMH!
 
The media has been sensationalizing the anti-tourist sentiment. The vitriol is focused on the small handful of visitors who are knowingly breaking the 14 day quarantine.

However, you're 100% correct about the "unfortunate xenophobic behavior" and it's disgusting. This is an exert from a Civil Beat article (https://www.civilbeat.org/2020/05/tensions-grow-over-how-and-when-to-reopen-tourism/) that was published this morning:

One idea repeatedly discussed was that Japanese travelers would simply be better than those from the U.S. continent: they would spend more and follow the rules, according to the senators.

“U.S. citizens tend to not want to follow these rules,” said Sen. Donna Mercado Kim.

Keohokalole added that high-spending Japanese tourists are preferable to “wannabe Instagram influencers from the West Coast who are staying in illegal vacation rentals and blatantly violating the quarantine.”



Donna Kim is a serious, long-time power player and one of the most influential state-level politicians. For her to say something like that . . . SMH!


What really bothers me is when people stereotype an entire section of people. I live in CA and I am not a "wannabe instagram influencer". My husband and I love to travel and enjoy taking our children places. We always teach them to be respectful and thoughtful travelers. I have lived in Europe and seen anti tourist sentiment there to people from the United States as well as from other countries. It always saddens me. Sure there are some "ugly tourists" from all countries, but most tourists generally want to have great travel experiences while being respectful at the same time.
 
What really bothers me is when people stereotype an entire section of people. I live in CA and I am not a "wannabe instagram influencer". My husband and I love to travel and enjoy taking our children places. We always teach them to be respectful and thoughtful travelers. I have lived in Europe and seen anti tourist sentiment there to people from the United States as well as from other countries. It always saddens me. Sure there are some "ugly tourists" from all countries, but most tourists generally want to have great travel experiences while being respectful at the same time.
Yes, as travelers we all need to do our part to respect the places we visit. Some bad apples really ruined the bunch for a term “ugly tourist” to even exist. No one wants to be stereotyped in that manner. As I’m sure most people in Hawaii would not want to be stereotyped as Xenophobic. Hope we can all be more considerate to one another, so we all feel welcomed to travel. It will take all of us, travelers and locals alike.
 
when watching people saying these things on tv...most of the local government officials (elected or otherwise) have a very odd sense of what kind of plans they will openly consider. its also important to realize that if you're watching a short clip (under 2 minutes)...how much was edited, or had to be phrased in a way that was quick as opposed to accurate.

it is possible that at least some of them are saying these things because they truly do not understand what it is that they're saying, and others might be saying these things because they may now be on plan "zzzzzzzzzzzzzz" as plan "a" through "zzzzzzzzzzzzzy" failed because they weren't legal (ankle monitors...) or couldn't be enforced (pretty much everything else).

with some of the crazy plans they felt comfortable enough with talking about to the media...makes you wonder...how crazy were the ideas that they didn't share...

the one thing that does seem to be a common denominator in everything is that people are all coming up with crazier and crazier ideas as more and more time passes without any kind of target date being set by the governor. hotels can't properly plan and set re-open dates, legislature might have to start court proceedings just to be kept in the loop, mayors have to make plans a little at a time since every part needs the governors approval...and many plans require lots of pieces to work...so if 1 piece is rejected they may have to re-think everything.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top