Hawaii is open for business.
I met with Hawaii Tourism officials on Monday at the IPW U.S. tourism event in Denver and that was their overwhelming message.
Yes, there is some volcano activity on the east side of the Big Island of Hawaii. But it’s limited to 10 square miles of an island that’s more than 4,000 square miles in all.
Erin Kinoshita of The Anthology Group, which does public relations for Hawaii tourism, said there’s been no significant impact on the city of Hilo, which is only a half hour’s drive from the eruption site.
Hapuna Beach, Hawaii, is several hours driving distance away from the Big Island volcano eruption. Tourism officials say the Kona coast of the Big Island hasn’t been affected by the volcanoe eruption on the southeast tip of the island. JIM BYERS PHOTO
It’s almost 100 miles from the eruption site to the sunny Kona coast, where most tourists visit, so that area is utterly unaffected as well, she said.
Kinoshita said the concern is understandable, but that would-be visitors to the Big Island have nothing to worry about.
And that doesn’t even take into account folks interested in visiting Maui, a half-hour flight away, or Oahu, roughly an hour away by plane.
Kinoshita said similar issues have arisen on the island of Kauai, which suffered significant flooding a few weeks ago. That issue was limited to the north shore of the island and didn’t affect the popular Poipu Beach area, a couple hours away by car.
Top hotels on Kauai, such as the St. Regis Princeville, are open for business despite recent flooding to the west of Hanalei. Tourism officials say it’s business as usual in Princeville and Hanalei. JIM BYERS PHOTO
The popular town of Hanalei on Kauai’s north shore is operating normally, she said, as is the wonderful Princeville Golf Course and top resorts such as the St. Regis Princeville.
“The Kalalau Trail along the NaPali cliffs is closed, but the town of Hanalei is open,” Kinoshita said.
Hanalei is a lovely town with a great beach and a casual atmosphere. The Tahiti Nui Bar is a fun spot in Hanalei for inexpensive food and drinks, not to mention live music. It was featured in the move The Descendants, with George Clooney. I also love stopping in at Chicken in a Barrel, where they roast chickens in giant steel drums.
It’s understandable that folks are worried, but the areas of Hawaii affected by the volcano and the flooding are mere specks on the map and won’t have any effect on visitors who are heading to popular resort areas in the Kona district of Hawaii Big Island or on the island of Kauai, let alone Waikiki on Oahu or the beaches of Maui.
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I know. I stayed with you a few years ago, actually, and wrote about it for a couple of newspapers and websites in Canada and the U.S. I just posted a new blog on the situation about two minutes ago, so check that and pass it along to your friends. Hoping things return to normal soon for you and everyone else on the beautiful Big Island.