Visitor counts rise to highest level since Hawaii quarantine began

Incoming visitors on Monday rose to their highest count since Hawaii started tourism lockdowns.

Some 309 out-of-state visitors came to Hawaii on Monday, making up nearly 30% of the 1,093 total incoming passengers, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

The count, which was released this evening, included 382 returning residents, 133 airline crew members, 63 military exempt personnel, 84 people relocating to Hawaii and 68 transit passengers that were catching planes to other locations. As many as 15 trans-Pacific flights arrived on Monday.

Also 44 people who arrived had been granted exemptions to the mandatory 14-day self-quarantine that began March 26 for trans-Pacific passengers and was extended to include interisland passengers on April 1.

Prior to Monday, the highest count of arriving visitors were the 286 that came on May 11 and again on May 15.

According to data collected from the state Department of Transportation’s new mandatory travel declaration form, as many as 72% of the passengers or 198 said part of the reason that they were coming was to visit friends and family. About 17% or 59 passengers gave business as at least one of their reasons for travel. While, 6% of passengers or 17 said they were coming at least in part to vacation.

HTA had been reporting what type of accommodation that passengers had booked. However, DOT’s new form does not include a question about the type of accommodation.