An evolving Hawaii visitor fee seeks to avoid pitfalls of prior proposals.
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68 thoughts on “$50 Hawaii Visitor Fee Returns To Legislature with 2025 Implementation Planned”
An evolving Hawaii visitor fee seeks to avoid pitfalls of prior proposals.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
Hawai’i has been slowly destroying itself ever since it achieved statehood in Aug, 1959 and became the 50th State … ask me how I know. FWIW I was there then and I’ve been there for 1/2 of the intervening years, both as a home & property owner & part-time resident.
I’ve seen what happens when jobs disappear and what passes for a “government” keeps raising taxes – basically on everything – and the pols, bureaucrats, and unions seem to be the only beneficiaries. I was a union member – not by choice – for my professional career, so I kinda’ know what I’m talking about …
First came the destruction of the sugar cane industry … then fishing … then pineapples … $o now, what’$ left $$$ ???
That’s right – tourists. So stand by … it’s sad.
Not sure that statehood had anything to do with the disappearance of the Sugar cane, Pineapples and fishing. Those would all have disappeared regardless.
Not a chance, Bruddah’ … those 3 industries “disappeared” because what passed for leadership in The Territory “disappeared” with Statehood as the political realities changed … 59th State was the change vehicle, not the reason. You didn’t get that memo ?? (smiles)
The result was our relatively idyllic “Island Life” (and associated livelihood[s] of the residents) gradually disappeared with the arrival of “enlightened smart folk” from da’ Mainland and other overseas origins – folks who “knew better” than our local unwashed – and we now see the cumulative result of that “leadership” – I mean 9 Governors since ’59 – 2 GOP -7 DEM – and 5 not “locals”.
I was there to see it and live it – perhaps you weren’t? If not, too bad you missed the “edumacation” (sic) I received.
Alohoa
I just figure regardless as to who “ruled” Hawaii. (my state of birth) eventually those industries would have gone away for the same reasons and other industry dies, cheaper to do it else where. That’s what it always comes down to. Where can the MFG get the cheapest labor and best facilities for making whatever it is.
It that’s Not the case, why couldn’t those industries come back?
Sorry .. “50th State” vice “59th” … guess I was still thinkin’ “1959” … but in any case, I’m O-L-D …. that’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it … (insert smiley here)
They’ve already been called out for mismanagement of the fees and taxes they collect. If you think $68 million is going to go to beaches and parks you’re sorely mistaken. It goes into the black hole of the state coffers and mixes around in the general fund only to be siphoned off to pay the ballooning liabilities of all the state workers and social programs. The rest is spent to strengthen the one party regime’s stranglehold on the state and the minds of its voters. There’s nothing like your money being forcibly taken from you and then having it used to undermine you.
Last year 2023, I brought my family to Hawaii and spent well over $30,000 apparently a lot of charges and taxes were included.
Therefore this year we will not be enjoying the beautiful islands, instead we are flying to Thailand where it’s alot cheaper for rental cars, hotels and the country does not charge a vacation tax or a entry fee even if one is only visiting for two weeks.
I’m sure it’s necessary because all the other ways of gouging tourists have been implemented.
Its amazing that there is more work on miscellaneous future fees, and little being done immediately to help those fire impacted humans.
The politicians want the tourist money, but not the tourist.
Simple math: Increase car, hotel, beach parking, airport and tax “fees”
so that the tourist is paying double, compared to five years
ago. Double the income, cut the number of tourists in half, end
up with the same amount of money, with half the tourists.
It’s time for an outside audit of corruption in Hawaii.
That is discrimination. Why on earth would they try to eliminate tourists if they rely on tourism?
I have visited many times. This $50. Fee is a very bad idea. I live in a very tourist city, Victoria B.C. Canada and we try to do everything to encourage tourism on Vancouver Island as Covid made it very apparent how our city depends on that revenue. With the complexity of taxation, surely a “green tax” can be part of the tax structure through hotel, transportation and other tourist industries. This tax cost can be passed on and far more palatable than a stand alone fee. Hawaii is evidently suffering from a tourist PR problem. The levels of Government should be careful as the highest revenue earner in the Islands is tourism. Imagine if nobody came.
Talk about “passing the buck” and “biting the hand that feeds one”, now our 50th State dependent on air and sea transport for survival, has Kona, Honolulu, Lihue and Kahului Airports all in need of major repair! What has happened to the $B’s collected in Tourist Spending Receipts, the Governor Ige grab of County Hotel Tax Revenue for the State General Fund? I certainly respect the natural beauty of what is Hawaii, but it is not Tourists leaving cars to be stripped on the roadsides, Refrigerators and all manner of cast offs, this is Locals! Endemic to the problem is One Party Rule, Governor Green not the answer.