Slide shared by Ross Birch, the Executive Director of the Island of Hawaiʻi Visitors Bureau

(BIVN) – The plunge in visitor arrivals to the Big Island – and the dramatic economic impacts – due to the COVID-19 pandemic were discussed this week at the Hawaiʻi County Council.

Ross Birch, the Executive Director of the Island of Hawaiʻi Visitors Bureau, gave a presentation – through video conference – that used various charts and graphs to illustrate how unemployment numbers skyrocketed when tourism to Hawaiʻi island came to a halt.

“Its been quite a wild ride that we’ve had, especially in tourism,” Birch said, adding that the situation is unprecedented, “beyond anything we’ve ever seen from a tourism standpoint.”

Slide shared by Ross Birch, the Executive Director of the Island of Hawaiʻi Visitors Bureau

Birch said the industry’s number one focus is the mitigation of COVID-19, because they “have to get to a stopping area before we can start again.”

On one of the last slides of his presentation, Birch offered the following “prognostications” on what he thinks will happen next, from a tourism standpoint, in his personal opinion.

General Travel

• Drive to destinations will see first visitors
• Travelers will be attracted less congested destinations (avoid large cities)
• Locations with lesser COVID- 19 cases and strong processes in place will do better
• Need precautions in place at airports and airlines

Hawaii Island

• Hawai’ i Island Hotels will remain closed through May
• Previous bookings for July on are strong
• Group’ s scheduled for March —June moved to Fall or 2021
• Airlines will ramp up slowly with limited flights through end of June (Airlines received an exemption from the CARES Act for Kona, Lihue & Kahului)
• Initial price point for airfare and accommodations needs to be very competitive
• Travel demand is still strong including Hawaii as a destination
• Create unique experiences allowing social distancing
• Promote small group activities