Kaua‘i Restart: Tourism

w Editor’s note: This is the sixth installment of an eight-part series diving into the county’s efforts for economic recovery.

LIHU‘E — Between January and May 2019, Kaua‘i saw 551,542 visitors, according to Sue Kanoho, executive director of the Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau.

This year, Kaua‘i only saw about half of that between January and May: 282,169.

“Last year was a successful year for Kaua‘i’s tourism industry, so when the COVID-19 pandemic began to impact our arrivals in late March, it brought the visitor arrivals to a standstill within just a few weeks,” Kanoho said.

She leads the Kaua‘i Economic Recovery Strategy Team committee focusing on tourism. The team, which met four times virtually and continued contact via phone and email, came up with seven recommendations for the county on how to restart tourism safely, thoughtfully and effectively.

Part of that restart is capitalizing on kama‘aina travel. Gov. David Ige’s 14-day mandatory quarantine for interisland travel will expire Tuesday, June 16.

One of the team’s recommendations is slowly reopening activities with significant discounts. Many resorts and adventure activities are already offering reduced rates.

Kanoho said they are working on a partnership with the county’s Office of Economic Development “to get some offers out to the Kaua‘i community, as well as statewide.”

“We just got word on the kama‘aina market opening up, and will be starting a campaign that ties into the Kupa‘a Kaua‘i theme,” she said.

And when people arrive from other islands or other locations, the team recommended tightening screening at Lihu‘e Airport, suggesting more education to visitors, and testing. In part, the committee suggested “kuleana (responsibility) videos as a prelude to their visit, similar to what Palau did with the Palau Pledge (we don’t want a pledge, though),” the report said.

Many of the committee’s recommendations fall in line with the county’s Tourism Strategic Plan 2019-2021 as well as the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority’s statewide plan for tourism.

These plans emphasize community, natural resources and culture, Kanoho said.

Many of the ideas the committee recommended to Mayor Derek Kawakami came with more than just visitors in mind, but take into account local attitudes, like adjusted work schedules to lessen traffic, improved infrastructure during times of decreased traffic, and a paid permit system for county parks for non-residents.

“Our state and county parks have been inundated with visitors and residents and are unable to keep up with the volume and maintenance, including parking,” the report said. “Bathrooms in parks are especially bad and have been a number one complaint from residents. Visitors dominate parks and give little room for residents.”

The team also came up with less-prioritized ideas and recommendations, like a long-term plan for a multi-use venue, increased expectations for transient-vacation-rental managers, research toward a tourist shuttle to lessen traffic congestion, organized virtual meetings for the tourism industry and the lifting of restrictions on residents.

“Having never been through this type of crisis, I think everyone is doing the best they can with the information they have at the time,” she said. “Under the mayor’s leadership, everyone has come together to do what is best for our island and our community during this pandemic.”

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Sabrina Bodon, public safety and government reporter, can be reached at 245-0441 or sbodon@thegardenisland.com.