Gov. David Ige’s lifting of mandatory quarantine for travelers meeting conditions of the pre-travel testing program is so far exceeding the state’s expectations. On Thursday’s reopening, when the daily flow of trans-Pacific arrivals was expected to bump up by a couple thousand from the few hundred of late, upwards of 10,000 travelers touched down.

Over the weekend, arrivals added up to more than double of what the state anticipated. While the pent-up travel demand is stoking encouragement for Hawaii’s stalled tourism industry, it’s also spotlighting weak points in the new-normal entry process.

In the interest of spurring recovery in our tourism-dependent economy while also guarding against COVID-19’s spread, Ige and other local leaders must move quickly to unclog bottlenecks in the airports’ arrival process and tighten too-loose handling of the quarantine program.

Despite prep work intended to keep incoming foot-traffic moving — including development of a web-based Safe Travels platform that collects traveler information, replacing a paper form that had to be manually scanned — last week’s debut of the pre-travel testing program saw some hours-long lines as travelers awaited screenings.

In addition to inconvenience, such standstill is a potential public health threat due to limits on physical distancing in airport settings. Clearly, the count of airport staffers who can handle Safe Travels screening must be increased to better handle passenger flow.

Also contributing to snarls, noted Hawaii island Mayor Harry Kim and others, were airline carriers that switched the number of flights and their schedules. “Flights were coming in belly-to-belly,” Kim said of Friday’s arrivals.

As airlines push low fares to fill seats, the state must push back in a strong appeal for staggering incoming flights and better coordination to avoid congestion.

Further, there must be better and bolder communications by the state, on websites and at the airports, telling visitors that mask-wearing is required here.

Since the pre-travel testing program launched, generally about 85% of travelers bypassed quarantine thanks to a negative COVID-19 test, while the rest were directed to self-quarantine for 14 days. On Saturday, that latter group included 1,624 arrivals. As tourism ramps up, the state needs to do more to fortify its quarantine program.

A new report reviewing that program, conducted by state Auditor’s Office, found that although multiple agencies are involved, the effort “does little to — and cannot — ensure visitors and returning residents quarantine” after their arrival.

Among the program’s shortcomings, the review found “an overall lack of coordinated planning and communication” between state and county agencies involved. Further, and most troubling, the report was “unable to identify any person who was dedicated to oversight of the travel self-quarantine program and knew about each aspect.”

Instead, compliance and enforcement have been left to the counties, which have so far leaned on the honor system or tips from community members and hotel staff. In a step toward sorely needed efficiency, Ige on Friday said that all of the counties are now using a common Safe Travels Hawaii system.

The state should heed the review’s recommendations, starting with its call for Ige to appoint one person to oversee and have responsibility for “all aspects of the state’s policies and programs relating to trans-Pacific and interisland travel, including the travel self-quarantine and the pre-travel testing programs.”

When the travel quarantine was imposed in March, with safety-related decisions being made so quickly, an initial flimsiness in some requirements was excusable. Inexcusable, though, is failure to significantly evolve statewide coordination in Hawaii’s travel-related protocols as tourism reopens.