18/09/2026
WRONG‼️👉🏽: “STATE LEADERS have asked tourists to stay away from Kauai while the island recovers.”
KAUAI IS OPEN…some areas are CLOSED.
The message needs to be clear.
It’s coming out murky. ☹️
The and other leaders in government are sending the wrong message that’s going to kill Kauai’s economy by saying the island is closed, cancel reservations, go to another island.
Folks who book 6 months, a year in advance…this message is creating cancellations that far away from today
—as well as in the next few weeks and months which is meant to be the target. 🎯
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This was published Sept 16. HTA changed their message. But damage is done. ☹️
“[HTA]After initially encouraging visitors to avoid Kauai, which bore the brunt of Hurricane Lowell's damage to the state, the Hawaii Tourism Authority said Tuesday that visitors with upcoming trips can go ahead with their plans.”
https://www.sfchronicle.com/travel/article/hawaii-hurricane-lowell-travel-22434845.php
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If you do have reservations in the upcoming weeks or months..no need cancel if your accommodations are safe, but please respect the island’s residents and emergency work crews during the time visiting. This past week, right now, and these next few weeks are critical times in clearing, cleaning, fixing infrastructure…but there’s no need to cancel if your STVR is okay.
STVR is short term vacation rental.
It’s a delicate balance, the message from Kauai….to the world. 🌎
Not all Kauai has been devastated. But let’s be real. Trees are down; state & county parks are closed; ocean front vacation rentals & a few hotels were hit by high surge & are closed indefinitely; a few telephone poles are laying along sides of roads as of today; Kīlauea, north shore and other parts of Kauai still no electricity. Kīlauea lost water a day ago…again.
But plenty of aloha, gratitude, kindness is being shown.
Local residents and businesses are quickly pushing to be back to normality as soon as that is possible — this hurricane that didn’t even hit! But it’s devastating impact in some areas could create a negative domino effect to the island’s economy — plenty could lose jobs and businesses can start closing permanently. Many already have. 🥲
DO Check with your vacation rental or hotel to verify if your accommodations are safe & open for arrival.
Please help & support Kauai in some way, if can, by volunteering or donating whether you are visiting or would like to support the efforts from far away.
The north shore past Hanalei is asking the public “Resident Only” traffic while the recovery efforts underway. No timeline is set.
It’s easy to respect the north shore’s community’s needs at this time. 💜
The Lawai Beach area and road is open but devastated. All the luxury vacation rental homes all along the ocean front to Spouting Horn was hit by extreme high ocean surge. Plenty visitors will have to cancel if staying in this area.
There are pockets of areas throughout Kauai that were impacted with similar damage — but it’s not the majority of the island.
If residents or visitors do not need to be on the highway & roads these next few weeks for nonessential needs, please don’t.
Not a perfect time, but local workers, businesses are in dire straits. There has been an avalanche of tourist cancellations as expected, but the message needs to be clear to the outside world because plenty people who live Kauai are speaking freely because they can…on social media platforms.
Plenty are speaking out of emotion because they’ve been affected by this hurricane
…and it’s understandable.
Bottom line….this past year has been difficult economically for many people on Kauai, but this past event with a loss by visitors cancelling vacations in the incoming months — this will cause an extreme economic shift…a downward spiral.
Plenty folks ARE facing devastating damage from and their privacy, their space is to be respected.
— but most of the island is quickly being recovered by the outstanding work of the County of Kaua'i departments in collaboration with the nonprofit sector, a multitude of businesses and organizations, state government, federal agencies, Red Cross, KIUC & a community of volunteers ..residents & visitors.
It takes a village. 👆🏽
Please come as planned if your place is safe and not located in impacted areas. Just your arrival in itself WILL help with the recovery because there are many cancellations and if you come, you help lessen the economic hardship. It’s a community effort including visitors who love ❤️ Kauai …. You are part of the village when you are here.
Mahalo nui, 🙏🏼
—WHOkauai
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If the message needs editing, additions or corrections, please post. 🙏🏼
Let’s get this right early on.
Photo: visitors (and possibly residents, also) at the beach resort across Lawai Beach, watching Mindy’s food truck being towed out of the lagoon.
— WHOkauai
