Hawaii visitor arrivals plummet in July amid pandemic

HONOLULU — The Hawaii Tourism Authority says visitor arrivals to the islands in July fell by almost 98% when compared to the same month last year.

A report released Thursday says 22,562 visitors arrived by air last month, compared to the 995,210 travelers who arrived in Hawaii in July 2019.

Most of the visitors last month were from the U.S. mainland — only about 2,100 were from international locations.

For the first seven months of the year arrivals plummeted nearly 65%.

All arriving visitors are subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine, a measure that for months seemed to keep the coronavirus at bay in Hawaii.

But now, after the local economy began to reopen and restrictions eased earlier this summer, Hawaii is seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases, spurring yet another round of stay-at-home orders and business closures.

The restrictions, coupled with generally fewer vacationers amid the pandemic, have decimated the state’s tourist-based economy.

Air service to the state was down about 87% in July. No cruise ships are operating.