Commercial activities to resume at Hanauma Bay starting early next year

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Following pandemic-related closures, tour vehicles and permitted guides will be allowed at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve beginning early next year.

Licensed tour vehicles may enter the commercial vehicle parking lot starting Jan. 4, the city announced.

The use of this lot is limited to 15 minutes, with sightseeing and picture-taking passengers to remain on the upper level of the nature preserve. Tour groups are not allowed to descend to the beach area.

All vehicles using the commercial lot are also now required to submit an entry fee (up to $40) based on the capacity of their vehicle. These fees do not apply to taxi. The fee structure is as follows:

For the initial return of tour vehicles, the commercial lot will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Wednesdays through Sundays, the city said.

Meanwhile, parking and fees within the visitor lot remains the same.

READ: Hawaii’s Hanauma Bay named best beach in America by Dr. Beach

Pre-pandemic, average daily attendance at the bay was almost 3,000 people.

Today, average daily attendance is roughly half of that.

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