Hawaii is welcoming back Japanese visitors as part of a pre-trip testing program

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) — Hawaii reopened to Japanese visitors on Friday as part of the state’s pre-travel testing program.

Out-of-country travelers can now waive a two-week quarantine if they provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test from a trusted testing provider no later than 72 hours before departure.

Previously, the program was only available to travelers from the mainland.

State officials held a news conference at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on Friday morning, just before the first flight from Japan was expected.

“We are committed to revitalizing our economy in a healthy and safe manner, and this is the next step in bringing more travelers back to Hawaii,” Gov. David Ige said.

“Japan is the main gateway for international travelers to Hawaii,” he added. “We appreciate the visitors from Japan. You are polite. They understand our health protocols which is what we want, usually they usually wear masks.”

Friday’s ANA flight carried 64 passengers from Japan and visitors exited the international terminal with proof of their negative COVID-19 test results.

“It’s really good because I can meet my friends without quarantine and I have a negative certification,” said Japanese visitor Mei Shibata.

Eric Takahata, managing director of Hawaii Tourism Japan, said a total of eight flights are planned for this month.

Hospitality experts don’t expect a quick return to normal levels of tourism from Japan, in part because the country has quarantine rules on its own residents when they travel to the US

Yet even a trickle of tourists will be welcome in Hawaii’s devastated visitor industry.

“An Airbus at 85% utilization means $105 million for the state of Hawaii, $12 million in taxes and 1,100 jobs once it is utilized,” said Lt. gov. Josh Green, who led the Safe Travels program.

“It’s not really about money, it’s about giving people hope, like the governor did by setting up this program. While we may be starting out a bit slow, we’re being told it’s going to ramp up quite a bit in the coming months.”

Green said in a previous interview with Hawaii News Now that even if more Japanese visitors arrive, he doesn’t expect COVID-19 cases to spike, especially since the country has a relatively low rate of COVID-19 compared to places like California.

“And on top of that, they’re all going to get tested, and on top of that, their airlines are only going to let people get on the planes if they’re negative,” he said, adding, “Japan has such travelers are a lot more collaborative than some of our other destinations from the Mainland, so religiously they wear masks.”

The pre-trip testing program was launched on October 15 for mainland travelers. Since then, 174,515 screened people have arrived in the state, 152,814 have been freed and 10,979 have ended up in quarantine, Green said Friday.

Green said when cases on the mainland increase he is always concerned but believes the program is working.

“We’re doing a very good job, it can’t be perfect. Wearing masks is much more important. We are doing better than the mainland and other places with mask wearing, we will do better with the spread of COVID.”

Japanese-speaking travelers are encouraged to visit allhawaii.jp for resources on traveling to Hawaii.

Copyright 2020 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.