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Mufi's Message: May 23, 2020

5/23/2020

Happy Memorial Day!

Aloha all,

The Memorial Day weekend is set to begin. Although this year will be markedly different from those in the past, it remains an opportunity to honor the American military personnel who have laid down their lives while serving our country.

Please have a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable weekend with your families.

#AlohaLater

Donations have continued to roll in for our #AlohaLater campaign. These will ultimately be used to support the thousands of our brothers and sisters in the tourism industry who have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

HLTA is pleased to announce that the #AlohaLater benefit concert, which originally aired on KHON2 and feautred appearances from Chris Berman, Terry Crews, Jason Mraz, Tua Tagovailoa, Raiatea Helm, Keali'i Reichel, Kapena, Jake Shimabukuro, and many more will be airing in markets on the west coast this weekend.

Please share the information below with your family or friends who may be living in Las Vegas, Fresno, or San Francisco. The more people we reach, the more we will be able to help.

For more information on this campaign, please head on over to AlohaLater.org.

Citizen Scholars

The above ad ran in today's Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
To see a high resolution version of the ad, please click the image above.

HLTA is proud to unveil our 2020 Citizen Scholars. These students represent the best and brightest of their schools; student-learners who have already made significant impacts to their local communities and will undoubtedly continue to do so in the future.

Although we were unable to host our annual Citizen Scholars Luncheon, we were glad to be able to award these students for their accomplishments. A special mahalo to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and the Department of Education for their partnership and to the many tourism industry partners who donated to this scholarship fund.

Still Taking Submissions!

HLTA Media

"Hawaii isn’t messing around when it comes to enforcing tourist quarantines," The Washington Post, May 20, 2020
"Hawaii hotels may have the key to enforcing 14-day quarantine on tourists," KITV4, May 17, 2020
"Hawai‘i Tourism Now: Mufi Hannemann Shares His Thoughts on Hawai’i’s Tourism Industry," Maui Now, May 15, 2020
"New Zealand: A Case Study For Hawai'i," MidWeek, May, 13, 2020

Have a great weekend,
-Mufi

Mufi's Message May 15, 2020

5/15/2020

A Call to Action

Aloha,

In my most recent update, I announced HLTA's latest initiative: A Time of Crisis - Stories from Hawa'i's Visitor Industry.

Through this video campaign, we are hoping to do multiple things. First and foremost, we want to put a human face on the COVID-19 crisis. So many of our brothers and sisters are hurting right now, and they deserve to be represented by more than an unemployment rate statistic. Additionally, this is a prime opportunity to really demonstrate the diversity of the tourism industry and the variety of people who form its workforce.

I really need your help to get the word out about this campaign.

Please share this with your staff and encourage them to participate. If they, or you, are uncomfortable sharing your property name, I completely understand. Instead of naming the property, please feel free to instead say something along the lines of: "My name is __________________ and I work as a ______________ at a hotel on O'ahu."

Below, I've also included a flyer that you can easily share via text or email. It includes a video release for anybody who participates and can also be downloaded here.

If you have any questions or concerns about this campaign, please feel free to contact Jared Ellis on my staff at any time.

COVID-19 Guidance Update

We have received further guidance regarding several COVID-19 policies that I would like to share with you. The first is in regards to the issuance of single-use room keys. More than 90% of open hotels are currently using this policy. However, there have been reports of quarantined visitors who have been given an "extra chance" after being caught breaking quarantine.

Please do not do this.

Earlier today, I sent out a memo to each of the hotels currently in operation requesting that any quarantine violators immediately be reported to local law enforcement. I have reproduced the body of the memo below for your reference.

Aloha,

We sincerely appreciate your assistance with monitoring and reporting violations of the required 14-day self-quarantine order. There have been rumors circulating that hotels are not abiding by the single-use key agreement and giving a “free pass” to guests. However, should you encounter a guest who has been locked out of their room due to the single-use key, or identify a guest that is not complying with the self-quarantine order, we ask that you immediately contact local law enforcement to report them.

Mahalo for your understanding and cooperation.

There have also been several instances where a visitor has shown up to check-in to a hotel and has produced a federal letter declaring them an essential worker and, therefore, exempt from the mandatory quarantine. HI-EMA and HTA have both confirmed that, if a visitor produces a letter from a federal authority, they are to be considered exempt. Moreover, any federal letter shall supersede any letter from the State or HI-EMA.

Finally, we have received clarification that working flight crews should operate on a limited quarantine basis after arriving in Hawai'i. They may leave their rooms to get food or to exercise, but should also be limiting contact and should not be frequenting common areas of their hotel.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding these policy updates, please feel free to contact me at any time.

Have a great weekend,
-Mufi

Mufi's Message May 10, 2020

5/10/2020

Happy Mother's Day

Aloha,

On this Mother's Day, I want to send a special note of gratitude to each and every of the amazing women that someone is fortunate enough to call 'Mom'. A mother's love is an extraordinary thing that exists in rarefied air. If you are able to be with yours today, please take a moment to let her know exactly how much she means to you. And if they have passed on, say a prayer of gratitude for the influence they’ve had in your life.

Happy Mother's Day!

Baby Mufi and his mother, Faiaso.

HLTA COVID-19 Standards

As I noted in previous communications, we have completed a proposed set of health, safety, and security standards that we hope will help to establish Hawai'i as one of the safest and cleanest places in the world to work, live, play, visit, relax, and enjoy. After reviewing feedback and comments from many industry stakeholders, we have submitted an initial draft to HI-EMA and the State Department of Health for their approval.

I want to quickly share with you portions of the three areas of focus on which our standards focus.

Mākaukau - Preparation
This section details the steps that must be taken before our local hotels resume business operations. Proper training, education and communications are a critical component in going forward in the “new normal". It requires the establishment of a property-wide policy in the following areas:

Clear, non-punitive employee health guidance
Social-distancing
Food & Beverage operations

This section also suggests the development of internal "right to test" policies that allow a property to refuse service to a visibly ill guest who will not agree to further COVID-19 screening processes.

Hana Pono - Proper Procedure
The second area of focus for our standards requires that properties establish clear, comprehensive cleaning practices for all common areas, staff areas, and guest rooms. In researching the latest best practices for this section, we referred to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention as well as the Occupational Safety & Health Administration to determine everything from best practices to the cleaning products that should be used. A high degree of priority is the constant need to always have the workforce in the hotels operating in a healthy and safe environment.

Pane - Answer
The final area of focus covers the need for hotel properties to have established action plans that will go into effect in the event of a suspected case of COVID-19 or any other communicable disease. In this section, we laid out a proposed plan that includes designating an isolated bloc of rooms or other area of the hotel to house possibly ill guests. We are cognizant of the fact that we are not hospitals or a place where medical experts reside and work. Therefore, our plan is to have clear communication and dialogue with the state Department of Health and law enforcement officials should the need arise to handle an emergency.

The impetus for these standards, besides protecting our local population as well as our visitors, is to slowly restore public trust in our industry. This is not possible if we begin to ostracize individuals who may be ill. We are all in this crusade together and, for us to proceed down this the path of recovery, everything we do must come from a place of aloha.

Mahalo,
Mufi

Mufi's Message May 1, 2020

5/1/2020

COVID-19 Update

Aloha,

Hawai'i continues to see lower and lower COVID-19 infection rates and noticeable progress in our fight against this public health emergency. It is now more critical than ever that we focus on the details of a recovery plan that will help our local economy rebound from the economic downturn caused by COVID-19 when the green light is given to us by the governor and the mayors.

"Plans in the works to market Hawaii as the ‘safest place in the world’," Honolulu Star-Advertiser, May 1, 2020

There is a prevailing thought that the COVID-19 outbreak is a clear indicator that Hawai'i must begin to diversify its economy away from the tourism industry. I do believe that diversification can be a positive thing for our community. But, seeing as tourism is, and always will be, our core competence, perhaps now is the time to explore what I stated in the 90’s as the State’s DBEDT director that we can diversify within the tourism sector rather than looking outside of it. This is one of the concepts that I shared in recent comments during a discussion panel hosted by Hawaii News Now.

“Every crisis presents an opportunity to see how we can diversify the economy beyond tourism. I’ve been involved in state, local, federal government for many years and I’ve seen all the great ideas and initiatives that have come forth to diversify the economy. And, unfortunately, it always comes back to this one big basket called tourism. Nothing will immediately replace what we have brought to the economy. $17 billion that we contribute. $2 billion in taxes. 250 thousand people employed. So we have to recognize that and try to diversify from within. Our core competence is tourism, so let’s talk about science tourism, educational tourism, health tourism, and cultural tourism.”
-Mufi Hannemann, HNN COVID-19 Discussion Panel

Moreover, we know that the attitudes of travelers have changed in the wake of COVID-19. Potential visitors will have new considerations to take into account when they are deciding when and where to travel again. Chief among these will be the level of confidence that a destination can give them when it comes to their health and safety, two things for which Hawai'i has always been known.

"We want to make sure the trust and confidence is going to be there, especially if we are going to start opening our businesses on an incremental basis. So, I have been advocating, and our industry has been responding big time, to the need for all of us to put into place cleanliness and hygiene safety standards so that, when we are going to open, people can be confident- whether they patronize restaurants, small businesses, or come to our hotels, that these will be in place."
-Mufi Hannemann, HNN COVID-19 Discussion Panel

As such, HLTA is currently working with industry stakeholders to create new, industry wide practices in regards to hygiene, cleanliness, public safety, and how to respond to a possible public health emergency. I have also encouraged other industry partners to join with us to form a broad coalition of business leaders in Hawai'i who have publicly vowed to put the health and safety of not only visitors, but also our employees and 'ohana, as our top priority.

And this path that lies ahead of us will not be an easy one. In some ways, the obstacles could be greater than what we are facing now as we work to restore the economy. However, by working to first address the most pressing concerns of public health and safety, we can make major strides towards a return to normalcy.

"So let's pull together to reestablish that brand that we've been known for throughout the years. We want to be the cleanest, safest, healthiest place in the world to live, work, play, and raise our families, and we can do it if we work together."
-Mufi Hannemann, HNN COVID-19 Discussion Panel

If you didn't get a chance to watch the discussion panel, I encourage you to do so as it covered a wide range of topics and brought out insights from myself as well as other local business leaders. You can see the segment in its entirety here.

Kau Kau Kokua Kits v2.0

Hawai'i Lodging & Tourism Association and Y. Hata are pleased to announce our second Kau Kau Kokua Kits event for Hawai'i'is tourism employees. We will again be offering two different food bundles at low prices.

Bundle D
Pork Cubes for Stew, 1" Butts (5lbs)
Corn, Cut, Sweet Whole Kernel (2.5 lbs)
Broccoli Florets (2lbs)
Ground Beef (5lbs)

Bundle E
Chicken Breast (10lbs)
Chicken Wings, Party, Jumbo (5lbs)
California Blend, Vegetables (2lbs)
Broccoli Florets (2lbs)

*Orders must be placed no later than 11:59 p.m. on May 5.

Distribution will be held at the following locations:
Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk - 9 a.m.-10 a.m.
Residence Inn by Marriott Oahu Kapolei - 1 p.m.-2 p.m.

If you have any questions, please contact our Director of Membership & Special Projects Ashley Yonamine.

In closing, please always feel free to contact me if I can be of assistance in any way.

Have a great weekend,
Mufi

Mufi's Message 4.24.20

4/24/2020

#AlohaLater

HLTA is proud to announce the official kick-off event for the Stay Home Now, Aloha Later campaign. Tomorrow evening at 9 p.m., KHON will be hosting our official benefit concert that will feature local and mainland celebrities who have recorded personal messages and performances that we cannot wait to share with you. Tomorrow night, you can catch the show on TV and on KHON's website. If you miss it, don't worry. The concert will be aired again on KHII next week as well as on KHON's mainland syndicate stations at later dates.

HLTA is proud to announce the official kick-off event for the Stay Home Now, Aloha Later campaign. Tomorrow evening at 9 p.m., KHON will be hosting our official benefit concert that will feature local and mainland celebrities who have recorded personal messages and performances that we cannot wait to share with you. Tomorrow night, you can catch the show on TV and on KHON's website. If you miss it, don't worry. The concert will be aired again on KHII next week as well as on KHON's mainland syndicate stations at later dates.

Mahalo,
Mufi

Mufi's Message April 17, 2020

4/17/2020

COVID-19 Update

Aloha,

During times like these, it is all too easy to become overwhelmed by our current situation and struggle to see the positives in our every day lives. We start to dwell on how different our lives have become, and it begins to feel like nothing will ever be the same. At HLTA, we've been keeping a list of what we call "feel-good updates" that tracks all the uplifting stories that we hear on a day-to-day basis. I've shared a handful of these as part of my latest Island Matters column in this week's edition of MidWeek. You can read the article by clicking here.

Another bright side that we should consider is that the void of people and traffic created by State and county Work from home/Stay at home mandates has made it possible for a variety of construction projects to commence and make significant progress. As was recently reported in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, current lockdown measures have made it possible for important conservation projects in Waikiki to begin. Perhaps most notable of these is the $2 million Royal Hawaiian groin replacement which was funded through a partnership between the State DLNR and the Waikiki Beach Special Improvement District, which all businesses in Waikiki, including hotels and resorts, contribute to on an annual basis.

Resorts around the state are also taking advantage of this time. Major renovation projects are underway at hotel properties including the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel on Maui and the Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort. The benefits of these projects are myriad. Not only will these properties be able to offer a new and updated experience to their customers sooner rather than later, but they are also able to help keep our local construction industry, which ranks among the top five contributors to our local GDP, at work.

All this being said, things may seem dire right now. It may be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But there are positive things happening all around us, all the time. More than anything, it is a reminder that we are all in this together, and we that will outlast the COVID-19 outbreak as a community.

Hotels For Heroes Update

Hotels For Heroes has continued to grow both in use and in demand. As the program nears the end of its second week, we have been able to provide 1,005 room nights to those in need and have received many wonderful reports from grateful medical professionals and first responders who have been able to take advantage of this opportunity.

"'It means a lot,' programs to help local heroes expanding," KHON2, April 16, 2020

KHON ran a great piece last night about one doctor in particular from Maui Memorial Medical Center who, until Hotels For Heroes started, had been sleeping on a mattress in his office to protect his family from possible exposure to COVID-19. To read more about his story and Hotels For Heroes, please click the link above.

Kau Kau Kokua Kits

HLTA, in partnership with Y. Hata & Co., is pleased to announce Kau Kau Kokua Kits, an event that will offer specially-priced food bundles for O'ahu's hospitality workers and their families. We have set up distribution sites at Residence Inn Kapolei and Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk.

Kau Kau Kokua Kits will be available for pick-up on Friday, April 24. Orders must be placed no later than 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 23. If you are interested in having your own Kau Kau Kokua activity, please let Ashley Yonamine of our HLTA staff know.

PICK-UP TIMES & LOCATIONS
Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk - 9 a.m.

Residence Inn by Marriott Oahu Kapolei - 1 p.m.

Bundle A: $45 (Feeds 8-10)

10 lbs. - bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
5 lbs. - ground beef
3 lbs. - thinly-sliced teriyaki boneless pork butt

Bundle B: $35 (Feeds 8-10)

5 lbs. - ground pork
3 lbs. - thinly-sliced teriyaki boneless pork butt
2.5 lbs - sweet, whole kernel corn, cut
1 lb. - edamame soy beans, in pods
6 - La Tour Taro Dinner Rolls, frozen

As a special side offer, we will also have 50-lb bags of rice available for $35

HLTA Board of Directors Meeting

Yesterday, we held our bi-monthly Board of Directors meeting remotely via teleconference. Mahalo to all who were able to "attend" and participate. Conducting board business over Zoom was certainly different than our normal board meetings, but I appreciated everybody's patience and flexibility.

During the meeting, I provided updates in the following areas: current HLTA operations; COVID-19 response; updated HLTA calendar; ongoing HLTA initiatives; and our upcoming legislative priorities.

I hope that you have a great weekend. If I can be of assistance, please feel free to contact me at any time.

Mahalo,
-Mufi

Mufi's Message 4.10.2020

4/10/2020

COVID-19 Update

Aloha,

Yesterday afternoon, Mayor Caldwell and Honolulu Police Chief Susan Ballard announced a pilot program that will establish a night-time curfew for the Easter holiday weekend. Under the program, Honolulu residents must remain in their homes between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. from this evening through Monday night. While you may leave your home in the case of an emergency, going out to eat or to pick up food will not be allowed during the curfew.

The neighbor islands have also instituted new policies. Maui Mayor Mike Victorino has established curfew hours for the Easter weekend similar to O'ahu. Meanwhile on Kaua'i, Mayor Derek Kawakami amended the Mayor's Emergency Rule #5 to close all vacation rental operations and golf courses, and to require food service, grocery, and pharmacy employees to wear cloth masks beginning on Saturday, and Hawai'i Island Mayor Harry Kim has announced that all vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts and time shares must shut down and stop advertising beginning Monday.

In other news, Hotels for Heroes is wrapping up its first week. While there have certainly been challenges, the overall response has been wonderful. In addition to more and more people signing up to participate - over 650 reservations were made in four days, we have also had numerous people, organizations, and businesses offer their services to the program. Mahalo to Hawaiian Paradise Coffee, Domino's Pizza, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car, each of whom contacted us this week with offers on how they could help support Hotels for Heroes.

I am also pleased to report that we were able to secure an additional 500 room nights thanks - thanks to HTA, which were provided to the Healthcare Association of Hawaii (HAH) to support Maui Memorial Medical Center. Moreover, we were notified by HAH today that an organization has returned unneeded rooms which we were able to make available to Kaiser Permanente, the only hospital that was not a participant in Hotels for Heroes from the outset because they missed the deadline.

In closing, my best wishes to you and your family as we head into the Easter weekend. I hope that you are able to spend a safe, relaxing weekend together.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or my staff if we can be of assistance in any way. Happy Easter!

Mahalo,
Mufi

Mufi's Message, April 10th, 2020

4/10/2020

COVID-19 Update

Aloha,

Yesterday afternoon, Mayor Caldwell and Honolulu Police Chief Susan Ballard announced a pilot program that will establish a night-time curfew for the Easter holiday weekend. Under the program, Honolulu residents must remain in their homes between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. from this evening through Monday night. While you may leave your home in the case of an emergency, going out to eat or to pick up food will not be allowed during the curfew.

The neighbor islands have also instituted new policies. Maui Mayor Mike Victorino has established curfew hours for the Easter weekend similar to O'ahu. Meanwhile on Kaua'i, Mayor Derek Kawakami amended the Mayor's Emergency Rule #5 to close all vacation rental operations and golf courses, and to require food service, grocery, and pharmacy employees to wear cloth masks beginning on Saturday, and Hawai'i Island Mayor Harry Kim has announced that all vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts and time shares must shut down and stop advertising beginning Monday.

In other news, Hotels for Heroes is wrapping up its first week. While there have certainly been challenges, the overall response has been wonderful. In addition to more and more people signing up to participate - over 650 reservations were made in four days, we have also had numerous people, organizations, and businesses offer their services to the program. Mahalo to Hawaiian Paradise Coffee, Domino's Pizza, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car, each of whom contacted us this week with offers on how they could help support Hotels for Heroes.

I am also pleased to report that we were able to secure an additional 500 room nights thanks - thanks to HTA, which were provided to the Healthcare Association of Hawaii (HAH) to support Maui Memorial Medical Center. Moreover, we were notified by HAH today that an organization has returned unneeded rooms which we were able to make available to Kaiser Permanente, the only hospital that was not a participant in Hotels for Heroes from the outset because they missed the deadline.

In closing, my best wishes to you and your family as we head into the Easter weekend. I hope that you are able to spend a safe, relaxing weekend together.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or my staff if we can be of assistance in any way. Happy Easter!

Mahalo,
Mufi Hannemann
President & CEO
Hawai'i Lodging & Tourism Association

Links:

This Week's Media Items
"'Hotels for Heroes' program kicks off today," The Garden Island, April 6, 2020
"Hotels for Heroes kicks off across the state," KITV4, April 6, 2020
"Hotels across the state offer free rooms to health care workers, first responders," Pacific Business News, April 7, 2020
"New program helps visitors go back home if they can't quarantine for 14 days in Hawaii," KHON2, April 7, 2020

HLTA Communications From This Week
Mufi's Message - April 3, 2020
COVID-19 Update - April 6, 2020
COVID-19 Update - April 7, 2020

Mufi's Message - April 4, 2020

4/4/2020

Government Affairs

Aloha,

In this week's message, I want to share with you a brief update on several issues on which HLTA has been focusing.

Yesterday afternoon, I had an extremely productive conversation with U.S. Representative Ed Case who shed light on a variety of issues that have recently been raised by the passage of the CARES Act. One of the critical topics that came up was the Paycheck Protection Program which is meant to help small businesses keep their employees on payroll as long as possible. These funds are now available and more than 10,000 applications have already been submitted. If your business is eligible for this program, you need to submit an application as soon as possible. For more information, visit the U.S. Small Business Administration’s website here.

Since its enactment, I have sent out multiple updates about the CARES Act and its provisions. Currently in the works is another stimulus package which is another opportunity to receive additional assistance from the Federal government. Rep. Case is a longtime member of our local hotel and lodging community and it is encouraging to know that he is looking out, in particular, for our industry.

On Thursday night, I was invited by House Minority Leader Gene Ward to speak to his constituents at his district Summit. What was originally scheduled to be a talk story session at Kona Brewing Company was rescheduled as a virtual Zoom meeting. During our session, I shared my outlook on the COVID-19 outbreak, highlighted some of the ways that the visitor industry has responded to the recent crisis, and referenced other disasters that I personally had to face while Mayor of the City & County of Honolulu. Mahalo to Representative Ward for inviting me, and a special shout out to all those who joined us from the Hawai'i Kai area to share their mana'o.

Over the next week, I will also be attending two other meetings aimed at our recovery from the COVID-19 outbreak. On Monday, House Speaker Scott Saiki will convene the third meeting of the Select House Committee on COVID-19 Economic & Financial Preparedness. The committee has 26 representatives from different sectors of our economy, and the tourism industry is represented by myself, HTA President & CEO Chris Tatum, and Hawaiian Airlines President Peter Ingram. Moreover, I am organizing a meeting next week for industry stakeholders to come together and discuss a strategy to seek relief from local and state government. I’ll be inviting representatives from our HLTA neighbor island chapters to join us.

HLTA Initiatives

Hawai'i's visitor industry has a long history of community service and charitable efforts. The businesses and people that make up our tourism sector truly embody the aloha spirit, and it has been uplifting to see these traditions carried on, especially in the face of COVID-19.

Hotels For Heroes
Earlier this week, we announced our Hotels for Heroes initiative. This program, which offers complimentary hotel rooms for individuals on the front lines of the COVID-19 outbreak, was made possible through the partnership between HLTA, HTA, and HVCB. Through this program, which is funded by state tourism dollars, we have established points-of-contact with the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, the Hawaii Medical Association, police and fire departments in all counties, State law enforcement with the Attorney General’s Office, DLNR, DPS, and DOT, as well as EMTs and paramedics on all major islands. Each of the sectors was personally contacted by HLTA and will book reservations for their participants through HVCB. To date, we have had 35 hotels sign up to participate in this program and continue to add to our list of participating hotels on a daily basis. The positive reaction from the aforementioned organizations that we are working with to enable individuals to participate in this program has been overwhelming!

"'Hotel for Heroes' safe stay for essential personnel," KHON 2, April 2, 2020
"Interisland quarantine order empties Hawaii airports," Honolulu Star-Advertiser, April 2, 2020

Mahalo to the crew from Hawaii Nautical!

HLTA & Hawaii Nautical Donation Collection
Behind the scenes, HLTA has also partnered with Hawaii Nautical to collect donations of essential items like linens, towels, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and furniture for our homeless population. Hawaii Nautical and their crew have been picking-up these items from hotel properties and businesses around O'ahu and delivering them to us so we can sort, clean, and distribute them to various projects including the COVID-19 Temporary Quarantine Center that was established through a partnership with the State Department of Health, City and County of Honolulu, Institute for Human Services, Local 5, and the Hawai'i Homeless Healthcare Hui.

"Oahu hotels donate items large and small for COVID relief," KHON2, April 2, 2020

These are just two of the ways that HLTA has continued our work to advocate not only for our industry, but for our community as a whole. Please have a good weekend. Stay safe, keep washing your hands, and take care of yourself and your family.

Mahalo,
Mufi

Mahalo to all those who donated items this week!

Mufi's Message 3.27.20

3/27/2020

COVID-19 Update

Today is the second day of Governor David Ige's mandatory, 14-day quarantine for all individuals who have flown into the State of Hawai'i. The final passenger counts from yesterday clearly indicate a staggering reduction in arrivals, especially in visitor arrivals.

In short: this is working.

1589 passengers flew into Hawai'i yesterday. Of these, only 268 were visitors. This breaks down to roughly 15% of all statewide arrivals being visitors. To further contextualize this data, you can look back to March 2019 where you will see that, over the course of the entire month, Hawai'i tallied more than 927,000 visitor arrivals. This equates to roughly 30,000 visitor arrivals each day. To have reduced this number to 268 is clear evidence that the various measures enacted to slow COVID-19 are effective and must remain in place for the time being.

In other news, HLTA staff has been reaching out to our members around the state. While the news that a property is suspending operations never sits well with any of us, I have been bolstered by the numerous reports of our members doing what they can to support their teams. From distributing care packages of groceries, to honoring scheduled promotions, to continuing to make payroll each week, to striving to maintain their benefits, I have never been more proud to see our industry, and our community, pull together and lift each other up as we face COVID-19 together. Each of these acts of compassion and kindness is a glaring reminder that the spirit of aloha is alive and well.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me or any of the HLTA staff if we may be of service to you during these uncertain times.

Mahalo,
-Mufi

Links & Resources

Local COVID-19 Media Coverage
"Local healthcare workers fear they can't protect loved ones," KITV4, March 25, 2020
"Hawaii's visitor industry is ready to help with coronavirus crisis," March 26, 2020
"2 arrested, 70 cited for violating stay-at-home orders, Honolulu police say," March 26, 2020
"State: random calls can be made to make sure visitors who just arrived are quarantined in hotel rooms," KHON2, March 26, 2020
"Arriving passengers face 14 days of mandatory self-isolation, based on the honor system," March 27, 2020

HLTA Communications from this Week
State Sets up Call Center to Provide Assistance for Unemployment Claimants - March 23, 2020
COVID-19 Update - March 23, 2020
COVID-19 Update - March 25, 2020
Hotel Quarantine Procedures - March 25, 2020
COVID-19 Update - March 26, 2020