Tourism leaders focus on disaster response as Hurricane Nolo threatens Hawaii travel

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – About 700 people from Hawaii’s visitor industry gathered Thursday at the Hilton Hawaiian Village for the annual Hawaii Tourism Conference, along with 55 vendors.

Read more Back-to-back storms batter Hawaii coffee farms during critical harvest season

The conference focused on crisis response, traveler safety and preparing for future challenges facing Hawaii’s tourism industry.

With Hurricane Nolo approaching the islands, Hawaii News Now asked tourism leaders how those plans apply when severe weather disrupts travel.

Past storms have shown how quickly disruptions can affect visitors. When power failed at Lihue Airport, long TSA lines stretched out the doors as security operations slowed.

Daniel Chun, managing director of Hawaii public affairs and sales for Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, said airlines added flights to help travelers leave Kauai.

“After there of course was an incident at the airport where there was no power. And so the TSA and security just really couldn’t process folks. And so you saw those really long lines,” Chun said. “So we did add extra flights over to Kauai to make sure that even though it was a long, long day for a lot of folks waiting there at the airport, we wanted to get folks out to their destinations.”

State officials say the challenge is keeping the tourism industry moving while also protecting residents and visitors when severe weather hits.

Read more First Alert Forecast: Nolo will intensify and become a major hurricane

James Tokioka, director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, said officials are continuing to update their plans as new storms develop.

“We have a plan in place and then we’re going to come up with another plan for this new storm,” Tokioka said. “And it’s always seems like it’s going to be that way, especially in an El Niño year.”

Those plans include reserving hotel rooms for stranded travelers, offering $5,000 and $10,000 grants to help small businesses stay afloat, and redirecting visitors away from hard-hit areas.

Gov. Josh Green also addressed the balance between welcoming visitors and asking for understanding when Hawaii is dealing with severe weather.

“We always want to be able to accommodate people and we are grateful to people for being patient and understanding and we encourage people to be sensitive if they’re watching on the mainland,” Green said. “When we go through a tough time understand that this is the tropics and we are very far away. It’s also the most extraordinary place to visit so we know that there’s this tension.”

As Hawaii prepares for Nolo, tourism officials say the industry’s ability to respond to disruptions will remain an important part of keeping visitors safe while supporting businesses and communities.

Read more Flight attendants evaluated for sickness upon arrival at Honolulu Airport