Statewide visitor fees coming to Hawaii state parks, public beaches, trails, coastlines, etc. Here’s what is being planned.
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Statewide visitor fees coming to Hawaii state parks, public beaches, trails, coastlines, etc. Here’s what is being planned.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
So done with Hawaii! Bad beyond belief now.
I qualified for and received a Senior Pass from the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass. Does anyone know if this will exempt me from any additional state charges?
I also have the senior pass and still pay state park entrance fees everywhere I’ve been. They’re different jurisdictions.
I believe they will only work on federal parks and not state parks, if you use them at any Hawaii park it would not be a issue the locals will be working those gates and are nice and would let you in free, tell them you are kapuna.
Yes charge a heavy price, to many tourist are visiting island’s especially Maui born raised , enough these tourist that dislike the fee come for a week and leave and go home we have to live here, and we pay a lot in taxes, you people pay 300+ for a hotel room and 100+ for a rent a car, relax pay up your fees stop complains about what Hawaii charges, you don’t like fees don’t come go to Mexico they have zero fees, no we don’t need tourist, we will not starve give locals a brake.
Hawaiian residents are always complaining about all the taxes and fees you have to pay as a resident. You blame the tourist. Your tourism boar has advertised for years that Hawaii wants visitors You really need to blame the politicians you voted into office. They are the ones they have taxed you to the limit. Taxed you until you won’t stand for anymore taxes and fees.
It cost my family of 5 roughly $15k to spend two weeks in Kauai. Almost $4k goes to various taxes and fees! I’ll pay a state park fee 1. money actually goes to park upkeep. 2. Residents that use the same parks also pay a reduced resident fee of 50% of what visitors have to pay. Also don’t blame visitors for your high cost of living and taxes. It’s your greedy politicians and all of their taxation of locals, and now visitors.
This proposed bill is discrimination pure and simple. The government of Hawaii keeps getting stupider and stupider on a daily basis. At this point WHY would anyone from the mainland visit Hawaii with all their proposed fees specifically aimed at visitors? Pretty soon only the rich and famous will be the only ones able to afford to visit Hawaii. How long before the money-hungry government expands these fees to locals as well?
I’m happy to spend the extra money to help out Hawaii. If you want to go to the Caribbean or Mexico instead, go for it.
PegM
Hawaii greatly benefits from being a US state. Hawaii is not a country and Federal tax dollars pour into Hawaii from out of state tax payers. If US visitors are required to pay these additional taxes, so should locals.
Hawaii is one of three states included in the top 20 states that recieve more federal benefits than they pay in taxes.
Not sure if you understand the logistics of getting all those products you enjoy while on your interment trips to the islands. Just saying
Oops I before e except after c
I’m local we pay enough in taxes, for tourist that come and leave rubbish and go of trails and wreck the land,
Charge tourist big time, let not mention the rescues we have to pay for because people from America feel they can jump over rails fall from cliff, or dot care about warning signs, we as locals pay millions in taxes for tourist getting hurt .
How is it you are taxed when tourist get hurt? I don’t understand the connection
What happens when you purchase a yearly pass for your 5 day trip and the weather forecast is poor. Do you still go hiking because you already purchase the yearly pass? Is the state/county going to charge you additional fees for the flash flood rescue? What a scam.
How about Hawaii finding a sustainable economic industry rather than sticking to the visitors?
Thanks for the informative articles.
In California there are several types of annual state park passes, and pretty much all developed state parks (parking lot, restroom, signage) require an entry fee or annual park pass from everyone, visitors and residents. I am happy to pay for park access if the funds go to the maintaining and improving the park system, in California and/or Hawaii just as I did at Hapuna Beach and the other parks I visited on the Big Island on my recent trip there.
It all used to be FREE…. Could the list of millions die to Covid restrictions have something to do with all this??
Is there a discount for senior citizens? ( Age 60+?)
Residents should pay the fees same as visitors. No other state has resident exceptions that I know of. I agree with other comments, that once you start charging fees, they tend to go up and up every year. If the bill goes through, the monies collected should have a yearly report what the heck they’re doing with this money. Too many times we are taxed and discover the money has be misappropriated by another department. If they’re smart, they’ll make a big deal about how the fees were used.
We already pay taxes as locals,
You want us to be charged to visit a park we pay for already ?
Okay, so I live in California- taxes are very high- and when’s we visit any National Park, and some state parks, we have to pay! It’s the rules.
I think the word “ taxes” has a negative connotation because there is so much corruption, from the Federal level on down, and trust has been broken…Charging $25.00/pp is excessive…Changing $10/pp is more appropriate.
A question. It is my understanding that the state owns all te lands below some high tide line. So, this permit would be required too use any beach in the state? The other question that came up to me is we know some folks who spend their whole time in a single resort/hotel/time share. They make little to no use of state owned lands, especially lands with any “improvements”. They might not want support this, either.
I agree that residents should have to pay fees as well, although I think it should be reduced. If money is used for preservation and maintenance, there is no way to distinguish residential or visitor use or degradation, and everyone benefits equally from nature.
Residents should include home, apartment or condo OWNERS who can show a current property tax bill or proof of paying property or state taxes. Part time residents W/O Hawaii drivers licenses or handicapped but have current tax bills- proof should be exempt. Mahalo
Thanks for this information. For comparison sake, Arizona (my state) has an annual state park pass for $75 (with limitations) or $200 (no limitations), and there are no discounts for residents or seniors or anyone else. Daily entrance fees range from $2 to $30, and there are discounts for military, and greater discounts if both military and AZ residents. I expect to pay a fee in state parks, whether it’s my state or not. Best wishes to Hawaii as they work on figuring this out!
The Hawaiian islands are being trampled to death by tourists. This isn’t an exclusive issue to Hawaii many tourist destinations are going through the same. Current thinking by government is to require reservations, raise fees and limit access to protect the integrity of the destination.
Bottom line it’s 2022 and over 7 billion people live on the planet be happy that you got to enjoy Hawaii when there was only 5 billion people on the planet
We pay 9 bucks a gallon for milk, cost of living is 3x more than main land, they come jack up prices for locals because they are on vacation, so we as locals get robbed because of them, and they want us to pay because they are destroying our aina, no make ‘em pay hard .
That’s penalizing tourists and expatriates like myself who grew up, graduated high school and lived there most of my life.
I left home and now live in NC. This is not conducive to promoting tourism or expatriates like me to go home with my Haole wife, if we have to pay to show her our wonderful island
I am surprised that the decision makers in the Hawaiian government are not more clever. A policy that discriminates between visitors and locals only breeds bias between these groups. With tourism being the life blood of the economy, for better or worse, locals depend upon visitors happily coming to Hawaii and spending money. So how is this discrimination helpful?
If Hawaii needs more revenue, they already have numerous lodging and rental car taxes largely paid by visitors. Just raise those!
They already did the hotel/condo gouge.. This is a greedy greedy state.. all they want to do is build that rail to nowhere, to provide shade for all the people will have a place to hang out in the shade under it.
I can’t imagine a lot of tourists travel to a destination that they feel animus toward the local people.
I know there are places that I avoid visiting. I can’t imagine Hawaii is particularly concerned that people that don’t like Hawaiians might not visit.
If you don’t like Hawaii or Hawaiians don’t go.
Requiring visitors to purchase annual passes when most only are on the island for 1-3 weeks is nothing but a money grab. I own deeded time share property and pay significant taxes to the state already will this make me exempt? Hawaii is quickly pricing itself out of the market.
In CA disabled veterans get free entrance to all of the states’ park. Also a reduced (for some Disabled vets free) hunting and fishing permits.
I feel like everything Hawaii is doing is to keep away the hands that feeds them. The “Aloha spirit” is no longer there and that’s sad.
There is enough dislike in this world, it’s a shame the lawmakers want to worsen the situation by discriminating against non-residents all because they are greedy and want money. A tourist pays almost 18% in taxes.
As a resident of Maui I’m all for moderate fees that go 100% to the park, maintenance, etc A kama’aina discount would be appreciated, especially although for a paved parking lot $5 isn’t exorbitant. Or a 3 day all inclusive pass for visitors at major attractions for visitors. You can’t keep charging tourists for everything. And you need to use the monies where and for what they are collected.
Well this is ridiculous it’s just another excuse to take from-families who have been coming to Oahu for years… I’m gonna have to look to vacation somewhere else, because it’s getting way too expensive! . This is America, we are having to pay to go onto the beaches? Looks like you guys are now catering to the rich? Very sad. You are taking advantage of the people who have been coming to Hawaii for years we (tourist) have been pumping up your economy for years and you still want more!
Less, actually; we want less.
I am a Hawaii resident who strongly feels that residents should pay too
Residents and non residents should pay. Anyone who uses should pay.
Seriously?! Pay an exorbitant amount to fly here, and exorbitant amount to rent a car, an exorbitant amount to rent here, an exorbitant to dine out here, and, oh by the way, pay an exorbitant fee to walk on the island.
Another solution which will manifest itself in more taxes for locals, I’m predicting.
Hanauma Bay fees have increased from $7.50 to $12 to $25 in just two years.
Does anyone think the new fees will not increase?
I am disgusted with governments picking and choosing who pays fees and taxes and who gets handouts.
These fees are designed to prevent the poor from enjoying the parks.
The poor are not now and have never been Hawaii’s tourists. The bump up in these fees is because they were much too low for decades. Parks cannot be maintained adequately when their use fees are too low.
I was born in Hawaii and will gladly pay to be able to visit these beautiful sites.
The idea that because you hold a US passport you should be able to wander everywhere for free is weirdly laughable.
In WA the annual pass is good for an individual vehicle, but there is space to use it for two separate vehicles. The fee applies to the vehicle, not per person. There would probably be less kickback from the visitors if the pass applied to your rental car and the party within. We would have to seriously consider the cost is it applied to each individual and you had a family with children. We brought our kids through college.
Is the state of HI going to charge the homeless for “hangi out and sleeping/taking residence” on the beaches and in the parks of Oahu? II have witnessed the above mentioned yearly since 2010. Sad for the homeless. I have always felt the majority of individuals could qualify for VA help or other help from organizations.
The average is a week or two, so let’s stick it to visitors for a yearly pass. Maybe they should also charge them 20 to 25% miscellaneous lodging tax. Hope they use the additional tax dollars to tow some of the broken down cars off the resident’s front yards.
If we are already paying for these types of things through the Hotel and State tax, (almost 20%), why are we going to be charged again?
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What if you are a non-resident riding in a resident vehicle?
I’m sure they will keep the parking fees as a separate charge. Otherwise they will probably lose money with the annual pass. Should also be an option for a day pass per site or annual pass that encompasses all Hawaiian state parks with a special rate for seniors. The crazy thing about this is that many so called visitors own property in Hawaii and pay property taxes and state income taxes on investment properties as well as substantial sales tax in some cases greater than locals.
As much as I hate paying fees and taxes, I do see the value of this fee as long as it is fully designated towards Hawaii’s beaches, parks, trails, coastline, etc. so that we can enjoy them for years to come. I would also prefer to see this as a flat fee and perhaps collect it at the port of entry
If tourists are asked to pay (that’s reasonable) then locals should also pay even if it’s HALF etc. And for major attractions such an Hanauma Park near Waikiki $25 makes sense but it’s way too high for most day trips.
Otherwise, you risk shifting the use to non state park areas and may see only locals using them where the wear ‘n tear will rise while revenues may fall.
Hawaii is already too expensive on so many levels. When do tourists stop being asked to subsidize local’s lifestyle?
As a Washington resident, we are still required to purchase a Washington Discover pass to enjoy state parks. The annual fee is $35.00 annual or $11.50 for a one day pass. I feel all Hawaiian residents should purchase a Hawaiian pass, if they choose to enjoy the state parks.
It’s required to display your pass in your vehicle, as park rangers do check for the pass. If not displayed, a citation will be written.
As a tourist/visitor, we don’t have to visit the state parks to enjoy the scenery of Hawaii. Simply drive around the island or sit on the balcony of the condo or hotel. Keep the money in your pocket… it cost enough to go there
So, all the TAT, GET and property taxes that my condo rental generates are not enough…? Each county is going to have to charge everyone the fee/tax for entering the parks. How many parking enforcement employees will have to found and will they all be “full time”, with benefits?
If you want to play you must pay. For all
Fees are not a good idea… OK it makes some money but people will just not want to go a pay all the time.. Plus fees just keep climbing each year.. Mistake
Totally fine by me if California starts charging the exact same fees to Hawaiian visitors. Special fees at all our State Parks and Beaches for Hawaiians. They should also pay higher hotel occupancy fees when visiting California.
In New Jersey, we have beautiful Island Beach State Park in Ocean County. Since NJ is the most densely populated state in the nation, of course there are plenty of residents & tourists alike who want to see this beautiful park and beach. They have a very simple solution: First come, first serve; pay required fee; Entrance on a rolling basis to maintain capacity. No troublesome websites to try to get an impossible reservation weeks in advance. It works & doesn’t put everyone through torture.