Hawaii Says It’s Back to Normal for Tourism

The Hawaiian Tourism Authority said hurricanes Iselle and Julio caused no major damage to the islands’ main resort areas and did not have a significant impact on Hawaii’s visitor industry. As of Monday evening, Hawaii’s airports were open, airlines had resumed all flight operations, and most visitor activities and attractions were operating normally, according to the tourism authority. Travelers were still advised to contact their airlines to confirm flights, but other than that “travelers scheduled to arrive in the Hawaiian Islands this week and beyond need not make any adjustments to their vacation plans,” said John Monahan, president and CEO of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau.

Hawaii’s tourism industry and residents feared the worst when two tropical storm systems were headed for the state last week. Fortunately, Hurricane Iselle weakened to a tropical storm before making landfall, and Hurricane Julio passed to the north. The rural area of Puna on the Big Island suffered the worst damage, including road closures and power outages.