Hawaii's tourism industry, employing approximately 1 out of every 5 Aloha State workers, has ground to a halt. The governor has asked visitors to stay away for 30 days, and all arrivals are now subject to a 14-day mandatory quarantine.
Joining the effort to keep people at home and limit public contact, hotels are temporarily closing their doors, tour companies are on hiatus and Hawaiian Airlines has reduced its long-haul schedule to all but the bare minimum of flights.
Hopefully, swift action now will mean Hawaii can welcome visitors again sooner rather than later. So for now, as we practice social distancing, we can only conjure up images of our prospective Hawaiian getaways.
I for one had a list of places across the Islands I was planning to see for the first time or revisit after new developments in 2020. Once the pandemic has passed, this is where you'll find me.
• After more than a year closed to nonresidents after April 2019 floods and landslides, Kauai's north shore, including Haena State Park and the Napali Coast State Wilderness Area, reopened to visitors in summer 2019. A new shuttle and permit system is in place, drastically reducing traffic in the area and crowds at popular Kee Beach. By most accounts the new permitting system is working well, an example of a civic compromise that has managed to please most, if not all, stakeholders. But the high season and most popular time for hiking the famed Kalalau Trail (reservations required) is in the drier spring and summer months, so the true test of the new system is to come later this year.
• On the Valley Isle, visitors flock to Haleakala National Park before dawn for its sunrises that appear rendered in vibrant watercolors and sunsets from Maui's highest point, but I have seen neither. After a new permit system was put in place in 2018, sunrise viewing requires a little more planning but also involves smaller, more controlled crowds. Additionally, there are a host of new programs on the dormant volcano, such as a sunset tour from Roberts Hawaii that also includes evening stargazing with a trained astronomer and guide. In 2019, Hoku Hawaii started an excursion that includes a dinner at Kula Lodge before venturing into the national park, for a tour and lessons on Hawaiian history and culture. The outing is capped with stargazing enhanced with a hot coffee or tea.
• After I come down from Haleakala's heights, I'm headed to the resort area of Wailea, which has plenty of new developments to check out. Wailea Village shopping center opened in October 2019 with a roster made up of 90% locally owned businesses, with many arts and crafts shops manned by the creators behind the works. Sheldon Simeon's James Beard-award semifinalist restaurant Linea opened in Wailea in late 2018, while Hawaii-born chef and Roy Yamaguchi disciple Troy Guard plans to launch a restaurant in Wailea Village in late 2020. The casual, family-friendly spot, Opihi, will focus on local seafood and Hawaii-raised meats. On the accommodations side, the Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, unveiled its Palaha Hawaiian Cultural Center earlier in the year. The area offers space for immersive learning experiences, hosts daily cultural experiences, and showcases cultural works of art alongside collections of pre- and post-contact artifacts on a rotating basis.
• Finally, to get a full dose of rest and relaxation, I'm hopping an interisland flight over to Molokai, home to a mere 7,000 residents and no stoplights. The Hotel Molokai, the only full-service accommodations on the island, is in the midst of an update that will enhance rooms, the pool and other amenities. On the 2-mile-long stretch of white sand known as Papohaku Beach on the island's west shore, a solitary spot to enjoy the surf is all but guaranteed. I'm already salivating as I picture tearing into one of the Kanemitsu Bakery's late-night hotbreads. Meet me there when this is over and I'll share a bite.