An announcement from the Biden administration that it will adopt new international travel policies as soon as Novem­ber won’t immediately fix Hawaii’s global travel slump, which is still down 97% from pre-pandemic times.

However, some members of Hawaii’s visitor industry say it’s a signal that the long-awaited recovery of international travelers is ready to begin.

Hawaii’s international travel counts have essentially flatlined over the past 18 months. Eric Takahata, managing director of Hawaii Tourism Japan, said the airlines and travel sellers who cater to Japan, Hawaii’s top source market for international tourists, still are losing upward of $200 million a month. The businesses that serve their customers and other international visitors are losing millions of dollars, too, he said.

The downturn has left visible scars in Waikiki, where about half of the pre-pandemic visitors were international. T-Galleria Hawaii by DFS is shuttered, and yellow caution tape blocks diners from entering the Japanese food court Waikiki Yokocho.

The Biden administration’s easing of international travel policies will allow foreigners to fly into the U.S. if they have vaccination proof and a negative COVID-19 test — changes replacing a hodgepodge of more restrictive rules that had irritated allies.

U.S. citizens and permanent residents who are not fully vaccinated will still be able to fly to the U.S., but they will see tougher testing and contact tracing protocols. They will need to be tested within 24 hours of boarding a flight and then undergo testing upon return.

All adult foreign nationals traveling to the U.S. will be required to be fully vaccinated before boarding a flight. This is in addition to the current requirement that travelers show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure to the U.S.

Once the vaccination requirement is in place, the White House plans to ease all the country- specific restrictions on international travel that have prevented noncitizens who have been in the United Kingdom, European Union, China, India, Iran, the Republic of Ireland, Brazil or South Africa in the prior 14 days from entering the U.S.

Since the Sept. 20 announcement, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways have already reported huge jumps in bookings for flights from the European Union to the U.S.

Hawaii hasn’t seen such a dramatic shift. With proof of a negative PCR test at a trusted testing and travel partner site, Safe Travels Hawaii already had allowed entry to travelers from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Canada, Tahiti and the Philippines.

“In the U.S./Hawaii, the media described the change as ‘loosening’ restrictions for travelers wanting to come to the U.S. But the Japanese media described the change as U.S. ‘tightening’ restrictions,’” said Dave Erdman, founder, CEO and president of PacRim Marketing Group Inc. & PRTech, Vector Group Cos. — USA/Japan/Asia-Pacific.

Erdman said the new Biden administration policy actually adds another step by now requiring vaccinations for entry. However, the COVID-19 vaccination requirement likely wouldn’t be much of a deterrent for travelers from markets like Japan where vaccination rates are robust.

Danny Ojiri, vice president of market development for Outrigger Hospitality Group, said: “Hawaii’s key international source markets are on-track to exceed U.S. vaccination levels — so this will be timely for safe travel.

“After a slow start earlier in the year, Japan’s vaccination effort has moved forward at a brisk pace; at this time 55% fully vaccinated with 67% receiving their first shot,” he said. “The expectation is for Japan’s population to be at least 75% vaccinated by November.”

The CDC says the U.S. will accept full vaccination of travelers with any COVID-19 vaccine approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization, including those from Pfizer, Mo­derna and Johnson & Johnson used in the U.S. Other vaccines are also approved by the WHO and used widely around the world, including from AstraZeneca and China’s Sinovac, with varying degrees of effectiveness against COVID- 19 and its more transmissible delta variant. The WHO is reviewing Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine but hasn’t approved it.

Takahata said Japan’s vaccinations are mainly based on Pfizer and Moderna, so entry into Hawaii should not be a problem as long as the state will allow Safe Travels to accept those vaccinated in Japan.

The U.S. travel policy change also is expected to benefit Hawaii by encouraging Japan and other cautious countries to begin a reciprocal easing of their own travel entry policies. At this time Japan still has travel to the U.S. listed under a Level 3 “reconsider travel” advisory. Japan also is essentially closed to foreigners, unless they have obtained a special visa, and returning residents are subject to testing and a 14-day quarantine requirement.

“A lot of countries look to us and what we do and take that into heavy consideration. Overall, the Japanese government is moving to open up Japan for inbound travelers as well as outbound,” Takahata said. “The U.S. is one of those countries that they are heavily considering.”

The Japanese government has acknowledged that its quarantine has been a big challenge, and is considering lessening it to 10 days from 14, he said.

“From our side, a four-day reduction won’t do it, but it’s a positive sign from a very conservative government,” Takahata said. Any changes would likely be timed to the upcoming November election of a new Japanese prime minister, he said.

He expects to see “the initial spark of recovery” of tourism from Japan to Hawaii by the traditionally busy New Year’s holiday travel period.

“We’ve been averaging about 1,300 to 1,500 arrivals a month. We’ll be at least triple that when the spark starts,” Takahata said. “But we aren’t expecting a more sustained recovery until we head toward April.”

The Japanese government’s travel advisory for the U.S. has sidelined group travel from Japan, which typically accounts for 60% of Japanese arrivals to Hawaii, he said.

Major tour operators such as JTB Corp. and H.I.S. are likely to wait until Japan’s travel advisory downgrades, so Hawaii’s visitor industry is not expecting them to resume full operations until early in the first quarter of 2022.

“Hopefully, by summer of 2022 we’ll see a more constant flow back to some kind of normalcy,” Takahata said.

Hawaiian Airlines spokesman Alex Da Silva said that prior to the pandemic, Hawaiian had well-balanced international and domestic networks, and it is “prepared to resume routes once restrictions relax and demand returns.”

“The announcement is good news and an important step toward re-enabling travel to the United States — and Hawaii — from additional international destinations with a standard set of safety protocols,” Da Silva said. “This approach is consistent with procedures already in place at countries we serve, and we look forward to learning details of the program in coming weeks.”

Da Silva said as border restrictions curtailed Hawaiian’s international flying, the carrier expanded domestically in Orlando, Fla.; Austin, Texas; and Ontario, Calif., which are all performing well and helping offset global travel restrictions.

“Meanwhile, we’ve been slowly restarting international service, like Tahiti, as markets become operationally viable,” he said. “We remain optimistic and prepared to return or increase service to our international markets as vaccination rates progress in Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, and governments consider relaxing travel restrictions.”

Da Silva said Hawaii remains an appealing destination that will naturally benefit from pent-up demand from international markets.

“However, as borders begin to reopen, it will be important that we continue to market the state as a safe and welcoming place so visitors can feel confident that they can have an enjoyable experience during their time on our islands,” he said.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.