Gov. Josh Green has asked Hawaii’s visitor industry to partner with the state to offer heavily discounted packages to give California residents and first responders an opportunity to come to Hawaii for respite, and film crews displaced by the California wildfires to continue their work here.
Green told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser at a news conference at the state Capitol on Monday morning, “We’re going to try to do a lot to support Los Angeles, and the reason is because, first, we care about people, but also they supported us. California supported us a great deal when we went (through) the (Maui) wildfire disaster.”
State Business, Economic Development and Tourism Director James Kunane Tokioka said he met over the weekend at Green’s behest with visitor industry stakeholders, including Jerry Gibson, president of the Hawai‘i Hotel Alliance, and Jeff Wagoner, president and CEO of Outrigger Hospitality Group.
Tokioka said the group came up with three support programs: Aloha for LA, which offers discounted hotel stays for fire-displaced people looking to get out of California for 30 to 90 days or more; Aloha for LA Heroes, which provides shorter discounted hotel stays for first responders; and Aloha for LA Film Studios, which offers business incentives like fee waivers and immediate permits.
Green said the hotel stays “wouldn’t take away any of our housing, just be very temporary, be paid for by the individuals or emergency response like FEMA, but it might be a way, once again, to show our aloha for those who have suffered.”
Gibson said some 35 hotels throughout the state have signed for Aloha for LA, which will offer daily hotel rates of $129 to $279 for longer-term stays. He said Hawaii hotels also have embraced the Aloha for Heroes program, which offers first responders connected to the Los Angeles wildfires a daily rate of $99 for stays ranging from three to seven days.
Gibson said organizers still are working out details, including finding a third-party partner to handle bookings; however, the aim is to launch the programs by Saturday.
“We are doing rooms basically at cost to us, and I’m sure the airlines and car rentals will do something similar,” he said. “California has been our bread and butter for tourism in this state for many years. We owe them a great deal of debt, and now it’s our time to give back.”
Tokioka said he briefed California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Cabinet secretary on the three initiatives Monday.
Gibson said four other states — Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona — also have offered Newsom support and “will be using our Hawaii model.”
Tokioka said he and other leaders still are assessing the need from California and the potential demand.
“We are going to be prepared for people to come, but when you are a survivor and your home is in L.A., you are going to kind of want to be close and there are areas that you can stay that are closer,” Tokioka said. “But it’s just the aloha spirit, that’s why it’s Aloha for LA. There may be some people who will take advantage of that because they just want to get away from all of the fires and the traffic and the looting and the smoke.”
Gibson said California supplies more than 40% of Hawaii visitor arrivals, and while there have been some cancellations, results have been mixed.
Outrigger spokesperson Monica Salter said in an email, “The California market, especially Los Angeles, is extremely important to Hawaii tourism; while there has been no decline in travel due to the LA wildfires so far, it’s too early to gauge potential future impacts.”
Salter said Outrigger provided critical support by offering food, shelter and supplies for displaced Maui residents.
“While the approach to assisting LA wildfire survivors differs due to geographical distance, Outrigger’s experience in disaster response positions its properties well to contribute meaningfully if/when needed,” she said. “Additionally, Outrigger is already offering distressed rates to California residents impacted by the fires and plans to expand this offer to include first responders over the next few weeks.”
Hawaiian Airlines spokesperson Tara Shimooka said in an email, “We are continuing to operate our flights to and from Los Angeles and Southern California and providing our guests travel flexibility. We are monitoring demand and have seen some cancellations and rebookings for close-in departures.”
Shimooka said Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines — part of Alaska Air Group — are supporting the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation with a $100,000 donation. She added that Alaska is donating 5 million Mileage Plan miles to the American Red Cross.
