Hawaii reopens after seven months; sees more than 8000 tourists on the first day

Hawaii has finally reopened its borders for oversea tourists after remaining in lockdown for nearly seven months. On the very first day, the US state recorded about 8000 tourists’ footfall. The latest Hawaii guidelines state that tourists can travel to Hawaiian Islands without going under a mandatory 14-day quarantine by showing a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of boarding their flight.

If someone arrives in the state without a COVID-19 certificate, they have the option to not get tested and choose a 14-day quarantine. Also, travellers need to create a profile on Safe Travels website that will help the authorities to keep a track and enforce quarantines for such visitors.
Hawaii’s pre-travel program is to kickstart the tourism industry in the state, which has suffered immensely due to the virus breakdown since March. According to local news, among 4000 restaurants, bakeries, and eateries, nearly 100 have closed permanently.

Hawaii’s economy is mostly tourism based. On this note, Avi Mannis, the SVP of marketing for Hawaiian Airlines told a local news channel that it’s very important for the economy of the state to restart tourism.
"And we’ve got to do it safely in a way that keeps our community safe, that keeps our guests and our industry workers safe," he said.
Hawaii was quick to impose lockdown during the initial phase of the pandemic and mandatory quarantine was put in place on March 26. With these measures, the state successfully avoided the early spikes. However, this majorly affected the state’s economy.

Every traveller's paradise, Hawaii is one gorgeous island destination in the US renowned for its pristine beaches, blue lagoons, emerald valleys and active volcanoes. The place is a paradise for beach vacation seekers. Some of the must-visit beaches in the state are the Hulopoe Beach in Lanai, Hapuna Beach, Kaanapali Beach in Maui, Kaunaoa Beach in Big Island and Lanikai Beach in O'ahu.