According to a survey by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, nearly nine out of ten Hawaii visitors are fully vaccinated. Many are giving their Aloha State vacations top marks, despite busy restaurants, attractions and hotels.Surveys were conducted with travelers from the U.S. mainland and Hawaii between May 15 and May 24. 89% of respondents reported that they had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.Since December, the HTA has been conducting special tracking surveys to assess visitor experiences during the pandemic. This is the third survey of visitors in the series.76% of May's visitors rated their trip as "excellent," a decrease from 82% and 85% respectively in March and December. A combined 5% of respondents to the survey stated that their trip was "below-average" or "terrible", slightly higher than the 4% who answered the March and December surveys. Survey respondents most frequently cited limited availability or capacity of restaurants and attractions as the negative aspect of their trip; 30% of respondents said it.Due to the growing number of visitors and restrictions on venue and restaurant capacity, there is a high demand for tickets and dinner reservations. Officials from all over the state recommend that tourists plan ahead for the top attractions such as Pearl Harbor, Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve and Kualoa Ranch. They also recommend that they book as soon as possible for any high priority activity or dining experience on a Hawaii visitor’s itinerary.The percentage of tourists who say they are "very likely to" recommend Hawaii to others has fallen as visitor numbers in Hawaii have increased. It was 86% in December, and dropped to 64% by May. The state released statistics for December 2020 showing that 235,793 tourists visited the islands in December 2020. This compares to 484,071 visitors in April.HTA stated that it is monitoring the decreasing satisfaction rates. A media blitz was conducted by the HTA, along with representatives from each island chapter. They held virtual meetings about what's happening in Hawaii. The HTA stressed that travelers and their advisors should book hotels, rental cars, and attractions as soon they know their dates and plans to ensure their satisfaction.Although social distancing, and other Covid-19 restrictions were still in effect in May, 82% said that they were able or able to participate in all or most of their planned activities.All three Covid-19 visitor special studies results are available on HTA’s website.May 2021: www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/media/7437/hta_visitor_covid_jun21_r6.pdfMarch 2021: https://hawaiitourismauthority.org/media/7029/visitor–covid-19-study–march-2021.pdfDec. 2020: https://hawaiitourismauthority.org/media/6415/hta–visitor-covid-19study.pdf
