Number of visitors to Hawaii tops 700 again
The number of visitors who flew to Hawaii on Thursday surpassed 700 again despite a mandatory, 14-day quarantine required for all out-of-state visitors.
Of the 2,668 air passengers that arrived on 27 flights Thursday, 732 were visitors, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority. There were also 858 returning residents and 195 planning to relocate to Hawaii.
Among those exempt from the mandatory quarantine were 241 military personnel and 141 who received prior approval from the state. Another 269 were flight crew and 232 were in transit.
The number of visitors was 110 more than on Wednesday, but not as high as this month’s spike to 937 the Thursday before the Fourth of July weekend.
As usual, the majority of the visitors, 587, landed on Oahu, while 65 went to Maui, 60 to Kona on Hawaii island, and 20 to Lihue. The majority of those flying to Oahu, 458, said they were here to visit friends and family.
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Visitor arrivals have plunged since Gov. David Ige on March 26 ordered all travelers to Hawaii — and in April, all interisland travelers — to undergo a mandatory, two-week quarantine to help stop the spread of the new coronavirus. The interisland quarantine was lifted on June 16.
HTA said during the same time last year, there were about 35,000 passengers arriving in Hawaii daily, including residents and visitors.
The data is collected from the state’s mandatory travel declaration form.