[Closed - new thread started] Will Hawaii Open by [OCTOBER???] [Please use this thread for all Hawaii Coronavirus discussions]

[Tamaradarann]

Well, if the powers-that-be pull off what they are talking about, tourists will return, but in lower volume. A bit of the best of both worlds if they are able to thread that needle.

OK, please explain what they are talking about that will open up to tourists light?

 

[CalGalTraveler]

I listened to an interesting and informative Q&A with the Mayor of Maui County today. His take home points are as follows. Tourism must return, the island cannot survive without it. They made the mistake in the past of allowing quantity to overwhelm quality. They view this event as a way to change their trajectory, and focus on quality tourism -- people that come for longer times, stay and spend more money, etc. -- rather than quantity. He sees perhaps a 50% reduction in the number of available rental cars, reducing traffic considerably. He prefers timeshare owners because they tend to stay longer, come frequently, and care more as an owner, over hotel guests. So they are looking at how they can reopen with fewer people that stay and spend more.

Wow. This comment by the Mayor of Maui county surprises me. In the past Maui County has been very anti-timeshare. There is a lawsuit between the Westin Kaanapali's and Maui County about the discrimination in taxation level for timeshares. Westin prevailed but it is still not completely over. There has been local opposition to the new HGVC Maui which has delayed development in Kihei too.

Is this a single person's opinion? or have attitudes toward timeshares changed with Covid?

P.S. If true, I agree with the Mayor because the impacts are less than throngs of tourists visiting for 3 days on a multi-island package who drive all over the island generating traffic, buying cheap souvenirs, consuming plastic utensils, plates, crowding beaches, and dropping garbage everywhere that the county must pick up.

Budget travelers may not spend as much as everyone thinks either. A timeshare owner eating out every night at places like Dukes, or buying mai tais during sunset at the Westin, will support far more than the budget tourist hanging out all day at the beach (free) buying a burrito at takeout counters and eating on the beach or in their rental car.

 

[DeniseM]

OK, please explain what they are talking about that will open up to tourists light?

There have been statements made that Hawaii would like to have half as many tourists that spend twice as much money.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

There have been statements made that Hawaii would like to have half as many tourists that spend twice as much money.

I am sure many would like that, as it would mean less congestion and hopefully not killing the economy. It may be challenging to achieve, but i wish them luck.

 

[geoand]

Just finished reading the entire thread. Nothing posted that convinced me to go to Hawaii in the near future. We have been to the Islands each year since 1995 from 2 week stays to 5 weeks. I am fine not going. I am surprised as to how cautious I have become. DW attributes this change in me from the fall I took in September. Fell from top of hill into an area covered with lava stones size of my head & larger. Ended up shearing my coller bone from left shoulder

 

[amy241]

Just finished reading the entire thread. Nothing posted that convinced me to go to Hawaii in the near future. We have been to the Islands each year since 1995 from 2 week stays to 5 weeks. I am fine not going. I am surprised as to how cautious I have become. DW attributes this change in me from the fall I took in September. Fell from top of hill into an area covered with lava stones size of my head & larger. Ended up shearing my coller bone from left shoulder

It sounds like you are lucky to have survived the fall.

 

[cman]

There have been statements made that Hawaii would like to have half as many tourists that spend twice as much money.

Here's a link to the interview where the mayor made those comments. It's an interesting Q&A.

Hawai‘i Tourism Now: Maui Mayor Michael Victorino Responds to Questions About Maui’s Tourism Industry | Maui Now

Maui Mayor Michael Victorino sits down with Pacific Media Group COO and MauiNow director, Jack Dugan to answer questions regarding tourism’s role in Maui’s economic future and its residents. The Mayor highlighted the integral role tourism plays on Maui’s hospitality-based economy. “Right now...

mauinow.com

 

[csodjd]

P.S. If true, I agree with the Mayor because the impacts are less than throngs of tourists visiting for 3 days on a multi-island package who drive all over the island generating traffic, buying cheap souvenirs, consuming plastic utensils, plates, crowding beaches, and dropping garbage everywhere that the county must pick up.

Budget travelers may not spend as much as everyone thinks either. A timeshare owner eating out every night at places like Dukes, or buying mai tais during sunset at the Westin, will support far more than the budget tourist hanging out all day at the beach (free) buying a burrito at takeout counters and eating on the beach or in their rental car.

I think that's very true. TS owners are regulars. They know their way around, they stay for a week or more. They are affluent enough to have disposable money to spend on a timeshare purchase and annual MF. They hit the tourists spots, once or twice, but then they've been there and done that. I've noticed that TS owners also tend to patronize the "local" restaurants more because they get to know the area better. I view TS owners as becoming more like short-term residents than tourists.

 

[TravelTime]

Just got back from my walk to Waikiki beach. It only took me about 5 minutes to walk there since there is no traffic. I didn’t have to wait for the lights. This is a link to a short video I put on YouTube. I’ll add the pictures in another post.

It looks like a day in paradise! Thanks for posting.

 

[TravelTime]

With Tuggers reminiscing about how Hawaii and LA were like many years ago, it made me recall fondly how Miami was like in the 1970s and early 1980s before it became cool to visit. I remember when I was a child and my family would stay at the Art Deco hotels in South Beach during the summer. Back then, it was a cheap local family vacation. The hotels were not renovated. Only locals visited in the hot summer. In the mid 1980s, when we had the Mariel boat lift, Miami Beach became dangerous. Then no one would go to South Beach. Along the way, by the late 1980s, investors started discovering Miami and there were a few underground clubs in South Beach that I would visit with my boyfriend when I was in college. But we were always careful because the crime rate was high. In 1988, I left Miami to go to business school in NYC. I went back to Miami briefly to live from 1996 to 2000. Then left again for a better job. I was shocked that while I was away, Miami and Miami Beach had a complete transformation. By the mid to late 2000s, Miami was now a hip place with celebrities and an active LGBTQ scene. Real estate prices went through the roof. That was not the Miami I grew up in. But when people now ask where did I grow up, and I say Miami, they assume I had some wild and crazy life. LOL I really miss the good old days in Miami when we had close to no tourism and it was an affordable place to live. I do not live in Miami now and I really do not like it now. It is too crowded and the lifestyle is too materialistic and shallow for my taste. Miami is a lot like LA. I lived in LA for a year and the values of today’s Miami are a lot like LA.

 

[luv_maui]

Here's a link to the interview where the mayor made those comments. It's an interesting Q&A.

Hawai‘i Tourism Now: Maui Mayor Michael Victorino Responds to Questions About Maui’s Tourism Industry | Maui Now

Maui Mayor Michael Victorino sits down with Pacific Media Group COO and MauiNow director, Jack Dugan to answer questions regarding tourism’s role in Maui’s economic future and its residents. The Mayor highlighted the integral role tourism plays on Maui’s hospitality-based economy. “Right now...

mauinow.com

I’m not sure what the new norm will be nor what it means for quality vs quantity, but 6mo.-1yr to get some tourism back will be a tough long road for Maui.

 

[DaveNV]

Ended up shearing my coller bone from left shoulder

If it had been a slightly different fall, they could have called you a "crack head." (Sorry, couldn't resist. )

Dave

 

[DaveNV]

I don't think it's realistic for Hawaii to try and change how tourism there is accomplished. There are millions of tourists from Japan and China who visit every year, and they tend to come in groups and stay in hotels. Many of those same hotels are owned by Japanese and Chinese companies. I don't see how they can swerve the visiting public away from that and into a timeshare-like vacation. People want instant gratification, daily maid service, hula lessons on the lawn, and fireworks shows on Friday nights.

As to the number of tourists being cut down, again, I think it's a bit late to try and do that. When I lived on Oahu back in the day, they were complaining that at any given time on any given day, even at the highest-occupancy times of the year, there were more than 3000 empty hotel rooms in Waikiki. They were even putting up welfare families in empty hotel rooms because there wasn't enough low rent housing to go around. There are many more hotel rooms now, in much larger hotels. Is the occupancy rate still leaving many empty rooms? Are they going to lock off half the rooms and tell those hotels they can't rent them out? Are they going to reduce occupancy permits? That'd be a fast lawsuit, I'm sure.

It's a ponderous question, since Hawaii serves so many different kinds of tourists. I don't see how they can do it. Raising prices and reducing the number of rental cars will only force more congestion on buses and taxis.

Dave

 

[slip]

I don't think it's realistic for Hawaii to try and change how tourism there is accomplished. There are millions of tourists from Japan and China who visit every year, and they tend to come in groups and stay in hotels. Many of those same hotels are owned by Japanese and Chinese companies. I don't see how they can swerve the visiting public away from that and into a timeshare-like vacation. People want instant gratification, daily maid service, hula lessons on the lawn, and fireworks shows on Friday nights.

As to the number of tourists being cut down, again, I think it's a bit late to try and do that. When I lived on Oahu back in the day, they were complaining that at any given time on any given day, even at the highest-occupancy times of the year, there were more than 3000 empty hotel rooms in Waikiki. They were even putting up welfare families in empty hotel rooms because there wasn't enough low rent housing to go around. There are many more hotel rooms now, in much larger hotels. Is the occupancy rate still leaving many empty rooms? Are they going to lock off half the rooms and tell those hotels they can't rent them out? Are they going to reduce occupancy permits? That'd be a fast lawsuit, I'm sure.

It's a ponderous question, since Hawaii serves so many different kinds of tourists. I don't see how they can do it. Raising prices and reducing the number of rental cars will only force more congestion on buses and taxis.

Dave

I don’t see how it’s possible either.

 

[csodjd]

I don’t see how it’s possible either.

I do. I wouldn't underestimate the power of a determined government. The power to tax, to permit, to regulate. Occupancy limits. Lots of tools at their disposal. Consider London/Heathrow, for instance. They added a substantial tax to flights years ago specifically to reduce the number of people flying through the airport (for environmental reasons I believe). Hawaii has already shown a willingness and ability to impose short-stay taxes and fees. And, now, perhaps more than ever before, they can justify the need for tourist-paid taxes.

 

[slip]

I do. I wouldn't underestimate the power of a determined government. The power to tax, to permit, to regulate. Occupancy limits. Lots of tools at their disposal. Consider London/Heathrow, for instance. They added a substantial tax to flights years ago specifically to reduce the number of people flying through the airport (for environmental reasons I believe). Hawaii has already shown a willingness and ability to impose short-stay taxes and fees. And, now, perhaps more than ever before, they can justify the need for tourist-paid taxes.

I still don’t see it happening.

 

[csodjd]

You're right, it doesn't - the state legislature just voted on the funding on Friday, so I suspect that there are a lot of details to hammer out before they implement this plan. What interested me is that this is the method that they are going to use to screen incoming passengers. Even though the article says that it could potentially be up and running in 2 months, my predictions is that it will take them at least 4 months, maybe 6. YMMV

Also - the governor's comprehensive plan which was mentioned in the article is supposed to be released soon, and one would expect it to provide more details.

It's encouraging that they are starting to talk about tourism. It may be a while off, at least it's starting to be a topic. I suspect they will have to engage and partner with the airlines. They have a common goal, and I'm sure the airlines would be happy to work with the state in testing protocols to get people flying again. I hope the plan, when it arrives, will have target dates, even if they are not guaranteed. I'm not a fan of thermal screening though. That's going to miss too many. Heck, just take 2-3 Tylenol an hour before landing. I'd be happy to pay a $200 "surcharge" for a test either before arriving at the airport or when I get there, just to know that everyone on the plane was also tested, and almost everyone arriving in Hawaii is virus free. And I'd be happy to pay a 5% hotel tax to fund governmental and healthcare operations. If I can't afford an extra $50 on every $1000 I spend, then I can't afford to vacation in Hawaii.

 

[Tamaradarann]

Well, if the powers-that-be pull off what they are talking about, tourists will return, but in lower volume. A bit of the best of both worlds if they are able to thread that needle.

Without question even if the 14 quarantine ended June 1, initally tourist are going to return in lower volume than before the virus crisis. People all over the world have been effected negatively by this virus either by becoming ill and dying, becoming ill a being disabled for a number of weeks, being unemployed or underemployed and losing wealth or being in debt, having to spend money on things that they ordinarily would not have spent money on to deal with the virus, having a great deal of anxiety about becoming ill or having family members becoming ill.
Many people are not going to be traveling for a while due to the virus. The powers that be in Hawaii do not need to work hard to thread that needle they can drive a car through it. As far as long term that is something that we must wait and see. I have no opinions on that at all.

 

[pedro47]

Opinions , we have booked the last week in June and the first week in July. Should we cancel our Hawaiian vacation plans?

 

[bnoble]

I would. The quarantine order extends through June.

 

[pedro47]

I would. The quarantine order extends through June.

Thanks you.

 

[oneohana]

There have been statements made that Hawaii would like to have half as many tourists that spend twice as much money.

I guess that rules out ts owners.
My friend's parents owned the jewelry store at the Marriott in Kaanapali, they said that hotel guests spent way more money. Once they converted to timeshares, most of their business was from changing the resort worker's watch batteries. They let them stay because at least it was a store that was open and not another empty space.

 

[slip]

Opinions , we have booked the last week in June and the first week in July. Should we cancel our Hawaiian vacation plans?

Yes, at this point you can go ahead and cancel. I just don’t see mainland visitors by then. I was hoping for inter-island to open up during that same period but I still don’t know if that will happen.

 

[pedro47]

Everything have been cancel .

 

[Steve Fatula]

I don't think it's realistic for Hawaii to try and change how tourism there is accomplished. There are millions of tourists from Japan and China who visit every year, and they tend to come in groups and stay in hotels. Many of those same hotels are owned by Japanese and Chinese companies. I don't see how they can swerve the visiting public away from that and into a timeshare-like vacation. People want instant gratification, daily maid service, hula lessons on the lawn, and fireworks shows on Friday nights.

As to the number of tourists being cut down, again, I think it's a bit late to try and do that. When I lived on Oahu back in the day, they were complaining that at any given time on any given day, even at the highest-occupancy times of the year, there were more than 3000 empty hotel rooms in Waikiki. They were even putting up welfare families in empty hotel rooms because there wasn't enough low rent housing to go around. There are many more hotel rooms now, in much larger hotels. Is the occupancy rate still leaving many empty rooms? Are they going to lock off half the rooms and tell those hotels they can't rent them out? Are they going to reduce occupancy permits? That'd be a fast lawsuit, I'm sure.

It's a ponderous question, since Hawaii serves so many different kinds of tourists. I don't see how they can do it. Raising prices and reducing the number of rental cars will only force more congestion on buses and taxis.

Dave

How 'bout 150% hotel tax, that does not apply to timeshares? Or whatever other tax one could apply to hotels only? There's got to be ways to only tax certain businesses or otherwise levy fees, perhaps an annual permit that's super expensive, monthly inspections, name it. Maybe there will be lawsuits, that doesn't mean it can't or even shouldn't be done.

Half the customers with same revenue sounds like a very worthy goal to me if you are trying to not only protect your state from viruses and health issues, but also overuse, etc.