(BIVN) – The Volcano Village business community – comprised mostly of galleries, restaurants and accommodations – has banded together to create a focused campaign to keep visitors coming to town, despite the closure of the main attraction next door.

In light of the record 80-day closure of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, and the resulting loss in tourism, village business leaders yesterday launched the Experience Volcano campaign with a press event at the Volcano Garden Arts gallery. They hope the effort will boost the economy of the earthquake-stricken community.

This media release was shared during the event:

The Volcano area is adjacent to Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, home of the Hawaiian Goddess of Fire,”Pele” who resides in Kīlauea Volcano. The Hawaiians had good reason to name her home Kīlauea, which means “spewing” or “much spreading” in the Hawaiian language. Since 1952 there have been 36 separate eruptions and it has been continuously erupting since 1983.

On May 23, 2018, lava spewed from Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone downhill from the Volcano area. On June 11th, the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park closed to visitors indefinitely to maintain visitor safety in the National Park. These events generated many news stories, most of which were embellished, and created fear among many visitors who cancelled their plans to visit Hawai’i, afraid that the conditions were too dangerous.

As visitors cancelled their reservations, an adverse economic impact was felt throughout Hawai’i island. This economic decline impacted the many small businesses located in the Volcano area. Driven by the community spirit unique to the Volcano area, Experience Volcano Hawai’i LLC was formed.

Experience Volcano Hawai’i LLC, formed in May 2018, is a member powered group of business owners, managers, employees and community leaders around the Volcano area. This group remains concerned about the economic impact to the Volcano area as a result of increased volcanic activity of Kīlauea Volcano and the closure of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. The goal of Experience Volcano Hawai’i LLC is to increase exposure to the businesses, adventures and the natural beauty of the Volcano area, and to perpetuate fact driven information and stories.

Experience Volcano Hawai’i LLC has a leadership team that has experience with State and Country Leaders as well as the Big Island Visitors Bureau, Hawai’i Tourism Authority & Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.

Experience Volcano’s goal is to be an outreach tool that remains user friendly, enabling a more informative and interactive experience for the visitors and patrons of the Volcano area.

Please visit our website and follow us on our social media platforms.
www.experiencevolcano.com

Mahalo Nui Loa
Experience Volcano Hawai’i LLC