Mufi's Message - October 16, 2020

Travel Restored

Mahalo to the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort for sending along these wonderful interviews from yesterday!

Aloha,

The day that we've all been awaiting has finally come and gone. Yesterday, trans-Pacific travel was restored, and the turnout exceeded early projections. Over the course of 30 incoming flights, the total number of incoming passengers was 10,012. Of these, nearly 7,000 were tourists. Moreover, nearly 85% of incoming travelers opted to utilize the state's incoming test program to exempt themselves from the mandatory, 14-day quarantine.

In speaking with hoteliers today, it seems that the majority of the day, both at the airport and at hotel check-in, went rather smoothly. In the links below, you'll find various media coverage of the first day of restored travel, including a firsthand account by a freelance journalist who traveled here and experienced how the airport's new standards would function.

As I noted in recent comments to The Washington Post, the pandemic was a horrific experience for our entire industry. But, now that we've actually re-opened, we'll slowly be able to reverse the trends that we've experienced for the past several months.

Media That May Interest You
"Hawaii or bust: A traveler’s notebook as he successfully navigates Hawaii’s pre-travel testing program," Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 15, 2020
"Final count of passengers arriving in Hawaii Thursday tops 10,000," Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 16, 2020

Mākaukau

As you know, yesterday we joined with the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, the Hawai'i Agricultural Foundation, and Hawaiian Airlines to launch our education and media campaign, "Mākaukau - We Are Ready". The response to the initial video, which is posted above, has been tremendous, and I feel strongly that this represents not only the readiness of our community to welcome tourists back, but also the demand that exists around the world to resume safe travel to Hawai'i.

Please take a moment to visit our website at Mākaukau.com.

Related Media Items
"Coalition of local businesses launch We Are Ready campaign to reopen Hawaii," KHON, October 15, 2020
​"Business organizations welcome back visitors with “Makaukau – We Are Ready” campaign," KITV, October 15, 2020
"Residents are conflicted about the return of visitors under Hawaii’s pre-travel testing program," Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 15, 2020

Volunteer Request

We are pleased to report that our latest free food distribution has completely sold out. Now, we are looking for volunteers who would like to pitch in on Friday, October 23rd at Aloha Stadium to help us distribute the food bundles to hospitality families in need.

If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out this Google Form.  For any other questions, please email Director of Membership & Special Projects, Ashley Yonamine at ayonamine@hawaiilodging.org. ​

General Membership Meeting

Have a great weekend.

Mahalo,
​Mufi