(BIVN) – The complete drop in visitor arrivals to Hawaiʻi in the month of April, a dramatic change from April 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was detailed in a Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority news release on Thursday.

The HTA Tourism Research Division said that in April 2020, visitor arrivals to the Hawaiian Islands decreased 99.5 percent compared to a year ago. HTA stated:

All passengers arriving from out-of-state (since March 26) and traveling interisland (since April 1) are required to abide by a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine. Exemptions include travel for essential reasons like work or health care. The state’s four counties enforced strict stay-at-home orders and curfews in April. Nearly all trans-Pacific flights to Hawai‘i were cancelled. In addition, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) renewed its “No Sail Order” on all cruise ships until late July 2020.

On Hawaiʻi island, visitor days decreased 97.9 percent from a year ago. There were 705 visitors on Hawai‘i island in April compared to 130,364 visitors a year ago, the HTA reported. The organization also provided this statewide insight:

In April, a total of 4,564 visitors traveled to Hawai‘i by air service compared to 856,250 total visitors (by air and cruise ships) during the same period a year ago. Most of the visitors were from U.S. West (3,016, -99.2%) and U.S. East (1,229, -99.2%). A few visitors came from Japan (13, -100.0%), Canada (9, -100.0%) and All Other International Markets (298, -99.7%). Total visitor days dropped 98.2 percent compared to a year ago.

A total of 95,985 trans-Pacific air seats serviced the Hawaiian Islands in April, down 91.4 percent from a year ago. There were no scheduled seats from Oceania and Canada, and very few scheduled seats from Japan (-99.5%), Other Asia (-99.4%), U.S. East (-97.7%), U.S. West (-88.7%) and Other countries (-62.1%).

Total air capacity has dropped in April by 91.4 percent (95,985 seats – 90,286 scheduled air seats and 5,699 charter seats.) Service to Hilo was suspended. Kona dropped 95.4% compared to a year ago.

There was also a complete and total drop in cruise ship activity in April. Sails on the Hawai‘i home-ported cruise ship were suspended and no out-of-state cruise ships were allowed into the islands. The HTA says that during the same month a year ago, 11,942 visitors came by air to board the Hawai‘i home-ported cruise ship and 10 out-of-state cruise ships came with 24,805 visitors.