Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast hosts Aloha Bruce and Yaling Fisher talk about how important it is to book your Hawaii vacation now or miss out this year on this Sunday, February 27, 2022, episode.

Bruce starts with some important Covid-related Hawaii travel news, noting that Hawaii’s indoor mask mandate will remain in place despite new CDC guidance issued recently. Bruce says that this makes Hawaii the only US state with an indoor mask mandate. He also says that Hawaii’s mask mandate is one of the reasons Hawaii has the 2nd lowest Covid positivity and death rates in the country. “We’re extra cautious about these kinds of things,” Bruce says.

The topic moves to a podcast listener’s question about the high number of hiker rescues being reported on Kauai. Our hosts discuss the challenging and dangerous Kalalau Trail. “Unprepared hikers are getting into trouble over there,” Bruce says the have been 13 rescues on Kauai so far this year, with 9 requiring helicopter airlifts. “People are underestimating these trails.” Bruce moves on to discuss several recent rescue incidents. “You just gotta be careful!” Bruce also notes a recent rescue Queen’s Bath that nearly became fatal for the victim.

Bruce moves on to discussing vacation rental reforms, especially on Maui. He says that a Maui County commission is looking into ways to curb unsustainable visitor arrival numbers and mentions a two-year moratorium on new vacation rentals. Bruce says 3,000,000 visitors arrived on Maui in 2019. The shutdown of Hawaii early in the pandemic forced a tourism pause and many residents and officials took the relative quiet to reflect on tourism impact on Hawaii’s communities.

“Kaanapali is almost like a mini-Honolulu,” Bruce offers. He mentions several other specific proposals and the potential impact such steps would have. It’s a complicated situation with many important factors. “It’s getting overwhelming.”

Bruce and Yaling move on to briefly discuss the Restaurant of the Week, Macaroni Grill. “It’s a fun place to eat and the service is great.” They particularly enjoyed Mac N Cheese Bites, and Bruce talks about the custom of sharing drinks and some other unique dishes.

Our hosts note that they will be going on vacation to Maui soon and will not have a new podcast episode next week. But they promise to come back with an abundance of valuable Maui content and hotel information. They will be doing site visits to a number popular Maui properties.

Our hosts reach out to the audience for help generating engagement on the Hawaii Aloha Travel Instagram page and other social media platforms. We’d love for you to get involved!

Bruce then tells the story of a viral short HAT TikTok post featuring the stars of Magnum P.I. filming in Waikiki that has now more than 2 million views in just 48 hours. Incredible! “Maybe I should try to be TikTok celebrity?!” Bruce jokes.

Bruce and Yaling move on to the main topic of this episode: Book your Hawaii vacation now or miss out this year. “Right now, we are getting a lot of calls for March and April, for Spring Break,” says Bruce. He notes some unpleasant surprises that cheap airfare deals sometimes come with. Reservations for the summer months are filling up fast. “It’s very difficult for June and July.” And demand for reservations toward the end of the year is already very busy.

This is why it is vital to book your Hawaii vacation now or miss out this year. Bruce and Yaling explain why prices around the Holidays are much higher. “We’ll find you the ‘puka’, or the perfect time and place for your Hawaii vacation,” Bruce says.

Bruce again encourages listeners to engage with the podcast and leave comments and interact with the HAT Instagram page, Facebook page, and TikTok account (check out the Magnum P.I. video!). We want to hear from you!

We podcast about Hawaii because we love Hawaii.

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