Kaua’i County officials are telling tourists to postpone travel to the island as it recovers from Hurricane Lowell, which struck Sept. 7 and 8 with severe winds, heavy rain and widespread power outages.
As of Monday, only about 82% of customers on the island had electricity restored, according to Kaua’i County officials.
Kaua’i County Mayor Derek Kawakami told reporters the island is still digging itself “out of the mud” and discouraged visitors from coming right now.
“We are going to recover faster than I think we anticipated,” Kawakami said, according to Kaua’i Now News.
He said the island would “gladly welcome” tourists back once it can “recover to a point where we can handle more capacity coming in,” but gave no timeline for when that would happen.
The Hawai’i Tourism Authority issued its own advisory last week, asking people with Kaua’i trips planned to reschedule or pick another Hawaiian island rather than cancel outright.
“As the island focuses its resources on immediate needs, the Hawai’i Tourism Authority encourages travelers with upcoming Kaua’i plans to reschedule or consider visiting another Hawaiian island instead of canceling their trip,” the organization said, adding that travelers should check directly with airlines, hotels and other providers for updated options.
Kaua’i, known as the Garden Island, is Hawaii’s fourth-largest island and drew nearly 1.42 million visitors in 2025, according to the state’s Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism. It’s home to the Nā Pali Coast, Waimea Canyon and Hanalei Bay.
This is the latest in a rough stretch for Hawaii’s tourism industry. Earlier this year, health officials issued brown water advisories on multiple islands after storm runoff contaminated coastal waters, and in January, the eruption of Kilauea volcano prompted warnings about traffic, crowds and hazards at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.
