May is such a beautiful month on Maui! We are now leaving the rainier winter season behind and entering our summer season. (Hawaii has only two seasons, summer and winter!) Tourism is steadily rebounding on Maui, and the island is bustling. In January, Maui welcomed around 67,000 visitors; in February nearly 93,000 visitors; and in March, we had over 170,000 visitors on the island!

Unfortunately, along with the increase in visitors, our island has also experienced a spike in COVID cases in recent months. As a result, our Mayor has decided to implement an additional testing program for travelers. For the past several months, visitors to Maui have been able to bypass the State’s mandatory quarantine if they have negative COVID-19 test results from a Trusted Testing Partner within 72 hours prior to their flight. That is still required. In addition, starting May 4, passengers on trans-Pacific flights arriving directly into Maui will be required to take a second COVID test upon arrival. The post-arrival test is a rapid antigen test (results within 15-20 minutes), done at the airport, and there is no cost to travelers. This test is a mandatory requirement in order to be exempt from the State’s 10-day quarantine. Passengers who have been fully vaccinated do NOT have to take this second test, so bring your proof of vaccine! For more information on travel requirements to Maui and this new post-arrival test, take a look at my blog: Visiting Maui During COVID – What You Need To Know.

The purpose of the post-arrival test is to add an additional testing layer to help screen out new variants that can spread quickly on our island. Government officials also want to get a clearer understanding of how much of the virus is brought into the island by travelers, since we have always known the pre-travel test does not screen out 100% of infected people. Other islands (the Big Island, in particular) have done this kind of post-arrival testing in past months, but it is new to Maui.

We look forward to welcoming you to Maui when you are ready to travel again, but we understand that the testing requirements and COVID restrictions that are currently in place will add some inconvenience to your travel experience. As long as there is a global pandemic, travel to Hawaii will be restricted in order to protect our vulnerable island communities, as well as our visitors. Masks are still required by state law in all public places in Hawaii, regardless of whether or not you have been vaccinated. And there are still laws requiring social distancing. If you are not comfortable with these requirements and restrictions, we respectfully ask that you please NOT visit Maui now. Wait and visit us later when there is no longer a pandemic and you can enjoy our island under more normal circumstances. We all look forward to that time!

Meanwhile, Maui is open and we are ready to welcome you! If you’re ready to start planning your visit, check out these great book-direct offers from our advertisers, valid for travel in coming weeks as well as later in 2021. Follow the links for more information, then book with the property of your choice using the contacts provided.  

Mahalo (thank you) for subscribing* to our MAUI DEALS & STEALS newsletter. I’ll send you another update and the latest new book-direct deals next month. Meanwhile, follow us on Facebook, as we continue to share beautiful photos and updates from our island.