If you were the person in charge of tourism in Hawaii, you’ve probably been pretty busy lately.
Summer is always a busy vacation time in Hawaii with lots of families from the mainland heading to one or more of the islands in Hawaii.
But this summer, with the eruption of the Kilauea volcano in the big island with lava flowing out of dozens of fissures more than 600 homes lost so far, your job is trying to convince vacationers that it is still safe to visit the big island of Hawaii.
It hasn’t been easy. The volcano is affecting only a small area of the island, but most of the cruise ships suspended stops a few weeks ago, even in Kona, on the other side of the island from the volcano.
Not surprising maybe but a spokesman for Hawaii’s Convention and Visitors Bureau says the cruise line cancellations have been frustrating because he says there really isn’t a safety issue on the island except of course for the residents whose homes are near the volcano.
The Hawaii tourism folks point out that the airports are open and have been open the whole time.
And there are signs now that things could be improving even if the volcano isn’t done doing its thing yet. Some cruise ships are resuming service this week.
And a new report out today says the Big Island's air travel numbers were actually up in May and they expect a continued increase this month.
It could be some people are curious, but it looks like it just could be that for a lot of people, a volcano is not enough to scare them off from their summer vacation in the land of Aloha.