December 30, 2020 - 8:50 AM
HONOLULU - Some hotel executives don t expect a quick recovery for Hawaii s tourism industry.
Visitor figures in November were about 77% lower than the same month in 2019, with just 183,779 total travellers, according to data released Monday by the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
Jerry Gibson, vice-president for BRE Hotels & Resorts, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that from Dec. 24 to Jan. 3 â traditionally the state tourism industry s peak â hotels that are open are reporting just 15% to 23% occupancy rates. Normally, Gibson said, occupancy rates would hover up between 93% to 97% during the holiday season.
Health officials across the country have urged people to avoid travelling and gathering with others, especially over the holiday season, to avoid spreading the virus. Hawaii requires people to test negative for COVID-19 before arriving in the islands or quarantine for 10 days.
December 24, 2020 at 9:10 am
Press release from Bank of Hawaii Foundation:
A comprehensive study undertaken by Bank of Hawaii Foundation and released earlier this week reveals that the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on residents statewide continues to get worse, with more families struggling to pay for basic necessities, including housing, utilities and transportation.
Commissioned from Anthology Research, the study,
COVID-19 in Hawaii: Facts and Insights Vol. 2, analyzes the responses of 944 full-time residents surveyed statewide from October 22 to November 9 regarding how COVID-19 affected their daily lives. The comparison to a similar study conducted in May for Bank of Hawaii Foundation by Anthology Research shows how the pandemic’s effects have worsened for residents and expanded on all islands over the past six months.
As both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House prepare to vote on a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package–and President Trump has indicated he will sign it–Sen. Brian Schatz says that Hawaii will receive at least $1.7 billion. Carl Bonham, Executive Director of the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO) said on Monday morning during the State House COVID-19 Select Committee meeting that Sen. Schatz had texted him that he believes the final total coming to Hawaii from this bill may be as high as $2.5 billion.
Schatz says the bill includes funding for unemployment assistance, and aid for small businesses, schools, vaccine distribution, hospitals, and health care workers.
Dec 19, 2020
The motorist dragged an electric razor across his face as he sat waiting for a Kihei traffic light to change. The way he continued mowing his chin as he motored through the intersection conjured memories of a not-so-distant past when busy island residents had to do two things at once just to keep pace.
Surely you remember those heady days before the coronavirus pandemic slipped Hawaii’s service industry into neutral. How long will it be before island folks are back to rushing between jobs and Maui’s hotels and condos are once again full of guests? An annual forecast by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization says not anytime soon.
Even with vaccine arriving, Hawaiiâs economy still likely faces agonizingly-slow recovery
Even with vaccine arriving, Hawaii s economy still likely faces agonizingly-slow recovery By Jolanie Martinez | December 11, 2020 at 6:32 PM HST - Updated December 12 at 8:06 PM
HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Nearly two months into Hawaiiâs tourism relaunch, the hope of a quick economic rebound is fizzling.
Because of stricter travel rules, a spike in COVID cases on the mainland and people waiting to get vaccinated, Carl Bonham, the executive director of UHERO (University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization), foresees a slow start to 2021.
âIf you havenât been called back to your job in an industry that is still struggling, it is somewhat unlikely that you will be called back between now and certainly late spring,â said Bonham.