On Tuesday, Gov. David Ige today announced that beginning November 1, 2021, the State of Hawaiʻi is safely open to vaccinated residents and visitors who are traveling domestically and between islands. On Aug. 23, Gov. Ige said it was not a good time to travel to Hawaiʻi.
The governor made the announcement at the opening of the permanent Federal Inspection Services (FIS) facility at the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport (KOA). The state continues to seek information from the federal government about its plans for international travel and will have an appropriate plan in place prior to November 8, 2021.
In a statement Governor Ige said, “I think we are all encouraged by what we’ve seen over the last several weeks with the continuing trend of lower case counts,” said Gov. Ige. “Our hospitals are doing better, and we have fewer COVID patients in them. Most importantly, our health care system has responded, and we have the ability to move forward with economic recovery. Because of this, it is now safe for fully vaccinated residents and visitors to resume non-essential travel to and within the State of Hawaiʻi.”
Hawaiʻi County Mayor Mitch Roth released the statement below in response to Governor Ige’s call for the return of visitors on November 1.
“We’re excited to welcome back visitors from around the world under a newly established framework that aims to build tourism around our communities and not the other way around. The pandemic has given us the pause we needed to reassess and reimagine tourism on our island. As a result, we have worked tirelessly with the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, the Hawaiʻi Island Visitors Bureau, and vested members of our community to create a Destination Management Action Plan that finally puts our community, its culture and values, and its wellbeing at the forefront of our redefined tourism industry. Together we will uphold the aloha spirit that welcomes, with open arms, visitors from all walks of life while protecting in perpetuity the people, places, and resources that make Hawaiʻi Island so special.”