HONOLULU — A survey conducted by the Hawaii Tourism Authority has found that visitors to the islands between late December and early January were pleased despite limitations caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
A majority of visitors who traveled to Hawaii from the continental U.S. said their pre-travel testing through the Hawaii Safe Travels program went smoothly.
Nearly 90% of visitors surveyed reported their visits were “excellent.”
The survey conducted between Dec. 21 and Jan. 4 gauged visitor experiences with the state-operated Safe Travels program and overall trip satisfaction.
Among those who said they were unhappy with their trips, 39% said their dissatisfaction was rooted in a lack of available activities in the midst of the pandemic.
Only 29% of respondents claimed they were able to do everything they hoped for during their trips, with the majority citing various coronavirus effects as reasons for skipping activities.
Travelers submitting to the Safe Travels program can submit negative results from virus tests taken no more than 72 hours before arriving to avoid a 10-day quarantine.
Less than 1% of respondents were unaware of the state’s pre-arrival testing protocols before leaving their home states.
Yet the survey found 21% of respondents experienced problems during pre-travel testing. Within that group, 46% said the 72-hour window for testing before flights was unreasonable.
Other difficulties included 15% percent who said test results did not arrive on time before departure and 37% percent who had difficulty finding trusted partners to perform tests.
Ross Birch, executive director of the Island of Hawaii Visitors Bureau, said travel partners on the West Coast have been overwhelmed by the volume of travelers and take longer to process results.
While there are fewer partners on the East Coast, they produce results more quickly, Birch said.
Even as visitors return, tourist businesses may need more time to financially recover.
“If you have a tour operator with a bus that holds 20 people and he only can host four to six passengers, then the numbers just don’t work out,” Birch said.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some — especially older adults and people with existing health problems — it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
We need to see a similar survey of those visiting Kauai where the bubble hotel requirement is in place, as well as the number of visitor and percent compared to 2019 versus how our primary competition on the Big Island and Maui are doing. I’m guessing we aren’t doing nearly as well on Kauai and suffering the economic collapse much worse than the other islands but need real data to know for sure. When is Kauai going to get aligned with the remainder of the state?
I agree Ken, I am sure the people who have had to go through this bubble thing aren’t near as happy to have had to spend over a thousand more of their dollars to hang out in a bubble!!
Right now the 14 day average on Kauai is less than 1/4 of 1% and yet there is still no movement on the mayor’s part to save the island. The fact that there are less and less business still open will only add to this fact as people if ever start to come back. It is so sad that Kauai will never be the same. I pray for all my friends on this Island every day. I hope that the HB1286 passes soon so Kauai can start welcoming back all that love her.
I agree with the passengers. They want to spend their hard earned money on a vacation to relax. And not worry about the hussle and bussle of everyday life of trains, buses, and cars. Freeways and highways. So they come to Kaua’i to relax. This travel testing thing can get out of line. Even though it is for the better, it does make things into a mess. The main thing is the travelers walk away happy. Only a few want to participate in making Kaua’i a grand of a resort. All the others, just another day. Because there is work on a personal note. I’m not with the hospitality dept. on Kaua’i. If you’re them, happy for you. You got your work cut out. And you’ll be paid for it too. Hotel and tourism industry.
we’ve enjoyed Kauai every year for the past 27 years; however, i wish we hadn’t planned on it this year. $120 from airport to resort. cannot rent a car until your test is done there for $200pp. $120 back to the airport for the rental car. those of us who are lucky enough to have gotten the vaccine, should be exempt from the test we have to get on arrival to the island, and from not being able to rent a car right away.