Published on : Friday, May 25, 2018
While the numbers still look good for some in the state’s tourism industry, others are worried that they could change direction much like the Hawaii Island lava flows.
A Hawaii Tourism Authority report shows that despite the flood on Kauai last month, the overall hotel industry had a great April.
Ross Birch, the executive director of the island of Hawaii Visitors Bureau, said that domestic passenger arrivals to Hawaii Island from May 1 to May 20 are accelerating by more than 26 percent ahead of last year despite the lava flow that began May 3.
Hawaii Island hasn’t seen this kind of eruption since 1955. The most recent eruption has closed two-thirds of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park due to increased seismic activity, ash fall and steam. Officials are warning public of the dangers of volcanic ash, toxic sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide and “laze” — or lava haze — when hot lava mixes with cold seawater to produce a plume of steam laced with hydrochloric acid and glass particles.