Hawaii Tourism Ban Update – May 7, 2020

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The Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast is posting comments about the Hawaii Tourism Ban made by Hawaii Governor David Ige at his Wednesday, May 6 news conference, specifically regarding the lifting of the mandatory 14-day quarantine required of all Hawaii air passenger arrivals. The current restrictions are scheduled to be in place until May 31.

Aloha Bruce and the Hawaii Aloha Travel ohana continue to encourage visitors to plan travel to Hawaii after the month of June and to rebook if you have a trip scheduled in June. We can help you do that. We want to help you do that. Aloha Bruce and Yaling Fisher with Lanai Tabura have talked about this in-depth on our recent podcasts.

There is a great deal of confusion about the Hawaii Tourism Ban, travel and quarantine requirements as Hawaii moves toward reopening its economy. Tourism remains vital to Hawaii’s economy, and Governor Ige told the media that the “conversation is ongoing” among government officials, the airlines and hotel industry leaders. He stressed the need to improve Hawaii’s enforcement of its current rules.

He also mentioned Hawaii visitors ignoring quarantine requirements and the Hawaii Tourism Ban, saying “These are not visitors that we would want.” He stressed that Hawaii remains among the safest travel destinations in the world. In fact, that is a big part of Hawaii’s brand.

As new data comes in, it is possible that the quarantine requirements are left in place after May 31 or reinstated if a spike in coronavirus cases occurs. This is why we here at Hawaii Aloha Travel recommend booking (or rebooking) Hawaii vacations until after June.

A lack of consistent messaging from federal, state, and local governments and failures of communication make it impossible to say accurately when the mandatory quarantine will be lifted, even as other parts of Hawaii’s economy are opening slowly and in stages.

Until the mandatory 14-day quarantine is lifted for Hawaii air arrivals, Hawaii tourism will remain effectively shut down regardless of what hotel or restaurant or retail outlet is open.

Stay with us here at the Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast and Hawaii Aloha Travel for the latest coronavirus developments affecting Hawaii Tourism Ban and tourists themselves in the Aloha State.