Director’s Message

Aloha HDOT ‘Ohana,

This month I’m starting off my message by sharing how thankful I am for the continued support and hard work of all our employees in Airports, Harbors, Highways, and Administration. Although it is not possible (or advisable) for me to see all of you face-to-face during this time, I consistently witness the results of your efforts to keep our communities connected and strong.

On October 15, we welcomed the first participants in the State’s Safe Travels Hawai’i Program. This program allows travelers from the continental United States entering the state to bypass the 14-day quarantine if they have proof of a negative COVID-19 test result from an identified trusted testing and travel partner.

On October 21, pre-travel testing partners for inter-county travel were announced. Details and frequently asked questions can be found at hawaiicovid19.com.

Visitors spent $17.8 billion in Hawai’i in 2019 (https://dbedt.hawaii.gov/economic/qser/outlookeconomy/). The pre-travel testing allows for visitor spending to resume somewhat and starting Nov. 6 travelers from Japan will be able to participate as well. This is important because according to expenditure data, visitors from Japan typically spend $48 more per day than the average visitor from the continental United States [$241 vs. $193 (average per day spending of visitors from the U.S. West and U.S. East market)].

The State and County administrations were only able to implement the Safe Travels Hawai’i Program because of the work we all have done to reduce the number of new COVID cases. The HDOT rose to the challenges posed by this pandemic.

Although we have not been able to gather or completely engage in our typical activities such as the Ho’olaule’a, please remember that we are still one DOT and we are all here to keep our state’s critical transportation infrastructure going. Please read this November issue in the spirit of gratitude and togetherness in which it was created and know that I appreciate all that you do!

Thank you for going above and beyond and for helping make HDOT what it is.

Happy Thanksgiving! Jade