With visitors in an uproar. What are your feelings about the fee proposed by Green in addition and all of the other Hawaii taxes and fees?
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270 thoughts on “Updated: $50 Hawaii Visitor Fee & Reducing Tourists Confirmed By Next Governor”
All governments need a way to fund the retirement plans for their former “employees”. The taxes never go to the projects that are originally mentioned. Lots of pie in the sky promised but nothing accomplished. Then the government pit the people against each other. Residents vs tourist, property owners vs renters, etc. The end result is more money stolen by the government from the people and none of the promises kept, except to their retired employees. And now the retired employees comments about how low their pensions are.
Very sad news to us, but I see why. We’ve traveled to Maui, since 2004, as frugally as we can. I find the cheapest flights, as low as $125 each way, & buy our groceries at a small market by the airport & Safeway so I can cook at “home”. We are not rich, like many residents & visitors. The additional fees that the island’s charge the less people will visit, & if that’s what the main goal is it might work. That’s one reason, that rental cars cost more than they did 6 years because of the additional fees attached, specifically before Covid. I feel bad for the resident’s because they’ve been mostly raised to rely on income that visitors bring to the islands. Unfortunately, these costs will keep us from visiting after 2023. Mahalo & Aloha.
This is definitely unconstitutional.
Us residents are going to be paying out for yet another thing now. Maybe finish the projects that are currently ongoing first and stop the corruption.
A $50 per person fee will keep families from visiting. Who takes boat trips to snorkel? Adults with children. Families will go to mainland attractions to avoid the high cost of Hawaii.Honeymooners and retirees are left. Retirees have seen Hawaii’s pay attractions and have no desire for repeating them. , Businesses will lose customers in the long run.
Isn’t there a constitutional provision the prohibits impeding travel between the states? Would Hawaii locals want to pay at tax to visit the mainland? That there seems to be no accountability for funds that would be collected, this whole idea seems to be a political money grab.
The state collects a fortune in revenue from the visitor industry. Covid caused enough reduction in tourism to prove that visitors aren’t the source of Hawaii’s ills. The residents who depend on visitors for their income and livelihood should be outraged by this political cheap trick.
The problem doesn’t seem to be how much to charge the tourists but how to make the state government more responsible for correctly disbursing all the tax money it receives. If their goal is to prevent tourists from coming, who is going to spend all the money needed to keep the businesses open? I have friends in Hawaii that don’t eat out often or go to a local hotel. These businesses depend on tourists. Maybe a COVID type shut-down is what the govenor needs to prevent tourists from coming.p
We love your beautiful islands and have always respected your land as if it were our own. It saddens me to hear all the blame being placed on tourists. I remember reading an article during covid saying that since the tourists were no longer coming ~Hawaiians were realizing not all problems were created by tourists. Hopefully we can find a balance as we are also considering other vacation venues.
It appears to me that Hawaii’s leadership wants only the very rich to visit. Taxes and fees are at least a third of staggering car rental costs. And 18% lodging tax. I love Hawaii, love aloha, love the physiical beauty and history.
We’ve been coming for 40 years, and our upcoming trip will be the last. It’s simply unconscionable to spend so much on a vacation. We could afford it, but I hate the elitism it represents.
Not legal.
I think, if there needs to be a visitor fee, that it be paid at tourist attractions, or major hotels. There are some(like me) that visit multiple times per year to visit family; grandchildren, but stay at a vacation rental for privacy. We seldom do anything “touristy” and it is expensive enough just trying to visit & will affect how often i can visit my family. Thank you for letting me voice my concern.