Janice Wei/National Park Service via AP
HILO Visitation at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has declined by more than half last year compared with 2019 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, park officials said.
The National Park Service said 589,775 people visited the Big Island park in 2020 compared with the nearly 1.4 million people who visited the year before, West Hawaii Today reported Saturday. That s a 57% decline.
Park officials anticipated an increase early last year following the annual boost from the winter holidays, and had reported a slight 2% increase in guests in January and February compared with the previous year.
However, the park closed between March and June as a safety measure intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and visitation remained low even when it reopened because of a decline in tourism, officials said. Hawaii tourism dropped significantly as a result of travel restrictions and business closures caused by the pandemic.
National park visits in Hawaii decline in 2020 amid pandemic
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National park visits in Hawaii decline in 2020 amid pandemic
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