The data is in, the causes are clear and now even Hawaii officials are rapidly growing concerned.
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193 thoughts on “Concerning Hawaii Tourism Decline | Ten Reasons It Happened”
The data is in, the causes are clear and now even Hawaii officials are rapidly growing concerned.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
I visited three islands over the holidays and thought I’d share a brief story. We all read and hear about respect for the islands, aloha, “mindful” visitation, etc.
When we drove to Hawi/Kapaau to see the King Kamehameha statue, read the descriptive billboards, etc, we had to do so with locals sitting on the porch of the building immediately behind playing hip-hop music with nonstop obscenities loudly enough it could be heard a football field away. If you expect tourists to be mindful, respectful, whatever you want to call it, walk the talk. This display in the shadow of the King’s statue was abhorrent.
West coaster here who used to visit every 1-2 years.
It’s now cheaper and more interesting to go to Europe so that’s our plan!
Love the islands but Hawaii state and local bureaucracy is rotten. They’ve squandered all the tourist fees and taxes yet want more. Good luck.
Be careful what you ask for – self inflicted wounds are always the most painful and usually take the longest to heal… or as Pogo once said ” We have met the enemy and he is us”. In essence, Hawaii has created the perfect storm of: 1) entitled locals vs entitled visitors; 2) greedy hotels, rental car companies, etc.; and 3) totally inept, self-serving (sometimes corrupt) politicians…
Itʻs quite disgusting hearing u.s. continent dwellers, talk about “aloha and the aloha spirit”. They know nothing about aloha, except what they read! They have never lived aloha, like those born and raised on the islands. We have plenty “aloha” for our people, the land, the animals and the ocean.
That is a pretty rosy picture of the “Local” culture. The reality is a “local” drug and alcohol problem that results in all the same issues as anywhere else in the world. There’s trash all over the island, there’s rudeness, a spirit of entitlement, laziness, and everyone calls in sick when the surf is up. I’m pretty sure even the animals and sea life are preserved by Federal laws cause “locals” loved them some Turtle soup not long ago!
100% agree with this… I know that I am not leaving burned out cars and couches along the road and in remote wilderness areas when I visit.
Why would you have “plenty aloha” for “your people”, and not for others? True aloha applies to all; it does not discriminate.
Also, “disgusting” is a ridiculously harsh word for U.S. continent dwellers talking about the aloha spirit.
You forgot to mention the rapidly expanding homeless problem and the fact that the state is showing absolutely no desire to solve it. This gets huge play in Japan, whose people are abandoning Hawaii for much safer — and cleaner — destinations.
Aloha!
Da sad news…Only da rich will survive but eventually they too will feel the pain and discomfort of the islands.
Entitled and bossy attitude make for bad relationship among visitors of all races.
Yes, racism will lurk around da corner and harmony diminish in the aloha atmosphere.
All this within a decade of changes only a few will notice now.
Mahalo’s
Oahu is a terrible congested nasty place. The local are mean. There are homeless uncared for. One time visitor. Never will return. Let the locals have there island back. They can live in squalor. No more Sam for you. The big island is nice.
Green is using st vacation rentals as a scapegoat for his overall failure as a governor
It’s really sad how politics are ruining Hawaii. The governor has made his hatred for vacation rentals very clear but forgets where a large chunk of property taxes come from (short term rental taxes brought in over 4 TIMES the amt of taxes of large hotels…..let that number sink in) — yet he complains that not all vacation property owners live on island and therefore do not contribute to the economy. That is just a lie. Over half of all vacation property owners live in Hawaii. All hotel corporations are mainland or international but have a strong political lobby so you do the math. 85% of the Maui economy is tourism – you kill tourism, you kill the island. Stop the blame game.
The people of Hawaii need manufacturing jobs and other industries other than just tourism. The path to better paying jobs and lower cost of living is within reach. It’s time to eliminate the income tax in Hawaii so workers can keep all of their income and invest in their businesses and themselves, instead of manipulating the GE Tax to court Japanese tourists. The people of Hawaii deserve to come first!
People that compare the cost of a vacation in Hawaii vs the cost of a vacation in a third world country are amusing. Try going to New York or Colorado during peak tourist season and compare how far your dollar goes there as well.
A beach located in the USA isn’t better – just more expensive.
Great vacations can be had all over the world and some of those “third world” destinations are nicer to visit than the USA.
We’ve been traveling to Hawaii regularly since in 1972. Our visits accellerated in 1990’s when our daughter and her husband attended college there. Two daughters had their weddings there. We as a family (as many as 15 on some trips) have booked hotels and purchased timeshares. Issues we’ve seen:
1. Total lack of Aloha on flights; might as well be traveling to Chicago.
2. Attitude of Hawaii residents. No longer feel welcome.
3. Crime and lack of action by local law enforcement. “Haole Tax”
4. Prices – Air fares and hotels have risen significantly this year. HVA needs to advocate for reasonable pricing.
We love Hawaii and in spite of our family’s urging us to book Mexico or Europe, we continue to come. Only for now.
I hate to write this but, if I weren’t From Hawaii, I probably wouldn’t be visiting Oahu. It’s gotten that bad. In fact, the last of my close relatives are about to move to Washington state… There used to be a billboard alongside the freeway in Seattle years ago when I was stationed in Tacoma. It was during the recession of the 80’s. It read: “Will the last person to leave Seattle please turn out the lights”. Might be applicable here…
Best Regards
How about you check out the prices for everything on the islands. It’s too expensive for tourists to pay compared to Mexico.
That’s the reason
Pat,
Mexico does have the drug cartels. And there is a warning out not to travel to Mexico. Just last week two more Americans got killed caught in crossfire from drug cartels.
Be safe in Mexico, Pat!
I would go to Hawaii over Mexico and Costa Rica any day for my safety!
I would Stop villifying all vacation rentals and actively Promote owner-occupied ones. We are local, we care about our islands, we will show the visitors aloha And keep the money in Hawaii. Don’t price us out of paradise. Stop spending money with the HTA who are promoting the hotels who take the money off island.
Yours is a logical argument, Lois. For decades we have owned, and live on, a Kauai farm with lots of aloha and includes a vacation rental that helps support our agricultural endeavor. Those who come to stay are interested in a more economical more authentic experience than they get at hotels. Many guests, including a number of repeat visitors, comment that they would not return if forced to stay at a hotel
Yes, and for them to tax your entire property in order for you to rent out a room or small cottage is unfair. When you use a portion of your home for business, that’s the portion you get the tax break on, why can’t we do that? Only pay increased taxes on the portion we rent out!?
The problem with this is that only 4% of Hawaii vacation rentals have a host in residence. It wouldn’t be worth their while to actively promote this type of accommodation.
You can not host a short term vacation rental without a property manager on site/on island in Hawaii.
Nobody has to actively promote this. They just need to add a few words in the bills like “except for hosted…” Leave us alone.
I have commented on the tourism issue before since becoming a BoH reader.
I’m Canadian, so my dollar is only worth 73 cents US. Nevertheless, I love Maui and am willing to absorb the exchange differential. What does trouble me and may very well keep me away is the anti-tourism sentiment openly voiced by the Hawaiian Governor and vocal locals, as well as the ever-rising cost of living on Maui. If the owner of the condo I rent is forced to charge me an accommodation tax, I won’t be back, sadly.
Maui will recover because of tourism dollars. No other industry can match those recovery dollars, Governor Green.
Let people live
Stop the government regulation
And Mr green please consider the needs of your local landlords
He’d rather listen to the hotels! They get his ear but we don’t.
Local landlords or transplant, who came to bank on Hawaiʻi?
In Governor Green’s press conference he said he’d like to allow hosted vacation rentals, so why isn’t he actively pursuing that option!?
Its noy the tourist fault for our decline butt.. the Negative California Transplants raising rent costs up to 4k a month
The governor needs to shut his mouth and do his job. He has to stop demonizing other groups of people for playing by the rules his government has installed and own up to the failure of local and state beuracracies which mismanaged the fire on maui as well as the lack of housing
Sadly, all self inflicted wounds enabled by years of governmental incompetence. You get what you vote for…
The hotel and vacation rental prices have doubled. If supply is greater than demand, lower the prices and we and others will return.
You have only listed a few reasons why people are changing their vacation preferences. One of the most pressing reasons is the total authoritarianism coming from a misguided elected leadership. I’ve been visiting the Hawaiian islands for 40 years, but won’t be back unless/until the leadership quits blaming every problem on tourists and finally looks introspectively looking at the damage their policies have caused Hawaii. Over the last 5 years, your Governor has done his best to kill the goose laying the golden eggs.
It’s hysterical & ironic to me that the native Hawaiians treat their physical islands as some kind of God that needs to be worshiped. They complain tourists are damaging the islands & want them out, yet when u look around, u see how the Locals use their properties as junk yards & dumps that are full of garbage, rusted out cars, old refrigerators, washing machines, etc. I know this first hand as my daughter lives there (we are not native) & when I go to visit, I see more & more of these trashy homes. It’s a double standard & hypocritical to blame tourists for the decline when the locals trash their own “sacred” land !! The locals need to practice what they preach & stop blaming outsiders for the failures caused by themselves.
Hawaii is a bust, I’ve gone for so many years and it keeps getting worse. After you land in Oahu, you get the pleasure of sitting in New York style rush hour traffic. Once you reach Waikiki which is now nothing but a massive outdoor high end shopping mall, you reach your extremely overpriced hotel with high resort fees. The islands are anything but welcoming. It’s also become dirty and overrun by homeless. I don’t ever plan on visiting again.
I have been going to the Big Island once or twice a year for the last twelve years. Love the place, but these vacations are getting brutally expensive. Airfare has gone up, rental cars have gone way up, and the house we used to rent went up 30%. Even the food has gone up in price quite noticably.. Like others, I am going to try Costa Rica, and other warm spots.
The political tribalism of the mainland has stretched across the pacific. The political rivalry is very much prevalent here as well. What people perceive as an animosity toward visitors is merely an extension of that.
I used to be a Kamaina on the Big Island. Had to move away due to high cost of living. That was 20 years ago. Whenever I’ve visited the Big Island, I stay with friends since accommodations are over priced. Love Hawaii but there are other low cost destinations and living in Asia I’ve been able to go to many places without breaking the bank.
I fell in love with Hawaii after a family trip when I was 12 years-old. I lived in Honolulu from 1990-1992 and again from 2012 to 2016. I’ve been to all the islands accept Lanai and Niihau. Putting aside the stunning natural beauty; for me it’s the value for money. Food choices are underwhelming and prices are ridiculous. As mentioned in the comments by others, the hotel prices are a joke and the constant nickel and diming (resort fee this, government tax that), homeless everywhere, traffic jams, phony aloha spirit marketing…I could go on. For me the biggest change is that Hawaii seems to have lost its sense of genuineness. People sense this and go elsewhere. Hawaii you’ve got your work cut out for you.
Like others, a European vacation, or Caribbean can end up less in costs. What kills me, is the Kamaina requiring certain acquiescence. I would think most, are very careful and considerate in their visit. Is the same being considered when Islanders come to the mainland? I also don’t hear of certain care required when visiting Italy, the UK, etc. What makes Hawaii so sacred? I will be travelling to Bali in three months, and I have yet to hear/read, how one must behave. Like posters above, I have seen plenty of instances of burned out cars and piles of garbage that were most likely not put there by tourists. I love Maui, but if it gets to the point of friction, I will find plenty of places that I don’t have to deal with unwarranted hostility
In Maui it is ok to let your dog off leash on the beach.
I’m not sure why Maui has a leash law it’s not enforced.
Maui has beautiful beaches, just watch where you step
Born and Raised in Hawaii… graduated from University of Hawaii… took my degree and had to leave, because is was impossible for me to live there anymore..
Don’t support Hawaii’s Tourism .
I swear to God on my life you will be so ripped off there like you have never been before.
Resort Fees … Taxes .. Hyperinflation….Aloha
“Resort Fees … Taxes .. Hyperinflation….No Aloha”
There, fixed it for you.
Aloha
… let me guess … less tourists mean that the State’s 2024 budget, based on total revenues, will be million$ in the red … therefore, instead of cutting spending (when does Hawaii’s legislature ever do that?), they will tax the local residents more … and for everything.
No they will keep piling on the tourist until Hawaii is no longer a tourist destination.
Both statements can be true.
Wow, all this sounds pretty dismal. My daughter is planning a beach wedding in Oahu in Sept. Can you give me any adivse on lodging for 13 people? We were thinking of Turtle Bay area but now concerned with the price gouging? I’m all ears . . .
She might want to reconsider & go elsewhere. When the cost of a sub-par hotel At The Airport is $700 a night, the costs elsewhere are astronomical.
Better have deep pockets. Costa Rica
I normally visit Waikiki three or four times a year. After my last trip in January, I’m rethinking those future trips. a) Outrageous hotel rates and fees (and they don’t even clean the rooms every day! b) Outrageous restaurant pricing! It’s unbelievable how dining out has gotten in Hawaii, even fast food is so much more than in San Francisco! c) My January flight was Twice as much as last January!
d) The Governor & local officials are suppose to Lead and the message they are giving is Stay Away and the businesses & locals are following the lead.
It’s really sad! I’ve been going annually for 15 years and it looks like it’s coming to an end!
Stop the HTA and Mufi from saying the want to phase out vacation rentals while He and Governor Green are obviously in the hotel owners back pocket! They want all people to spend 700 + per night but the vacation rentals between 2 and 3 hundred dollars at too much, these vacations rentals are in line with Lake Tahoe Orlando etc. teen and Muffi just want more kickbacks from the hotels! Getting rid or Vrbo’s is ludicrous, where are families to stay? 5000.00 per week at a hotel, then meals! This is so blatantly obvious , signed , A P.O’d air b& b owner trying to survive on the Rock! 😡😡😡
The owner-occupied short term rentals must be separated out from the others who are owned for investment purposes. Talk to everyone you know to let them understand these owners do not want to be priced out of paradise. Why do they keep saying they are all “scofflaws”?! They have been trying to get regulated for years but it’s easier to lump these in with the investors and blame all the government mismanagement on these residents while the hotels are raping the tourists.
East coaster here. Last year we were in Maui for 3 weeks. This year we will cut back & be on Big Island for 5 days and 7 on Maui and visit West Coast for a week. A few of the reasons have been noted in the article.
Our reasons
– We are visiting Maui to support the local economy as best we can.
– 2018 we paid approx $335 a night for our hotel (Sheraton) it is now 700 to a $1000.
– The govt is hostile to travelers additional fees/taxes
– The vocal opposition to tourist from some in the community, as if we were the ones that built the hotels, and promoted the travel.
– Rental Car prices, resort fees, parking fees, beach parking fees, park reservations.
The messaging from the State probably is the most disappointing.
I have been to the islands 16 times. I will probably never see number 17. The costs are totally out of control And they keep finding new fees. The governor doesn’t want us there so why waste my time and money?
I have mixed feelings about Hawaii. The beaches and landscapes are lovely. The access to natural resources is mediocre. While the seacoast is technically public, access is often blocked by private property and limited (or no) parking. The nature reserves, at least on Maui, are mostly off-limits, not even hiking is allowed. The constant public message is that you aren’t really welcome, the locals are more special than you are, and you’d better be respectful. Maui feels crowded, yet most of the island is empty (and off-limits). I do have sympathy for the locals that have been priced out of the real estate market. For that, that government should allow low cost housing to be built on some of that empty land.
YES Boh, You Summarized the key points perfectly. You all have a tough job as writers, etc. Thanks!
Hi Sandi.
Thank you! Glad to have you here.
Aloha.
BOH always does a nice job of covering this story from multiple angles.
We’ve been to Hawaii several times, mostly visiting the Big Island. Overall, we’ve spent about 7 months in HI. Here are the changes we’ve seen in our last visit in 2023.
The authorities and locals work in concert to limit your abilities to explore around. They want tourists but they want tourists to stay in Sheraton and if tourists want to get out they have to pay for overpriced tours. For exaple, rangers will find any excuse not to let you drive up Mauna Kea (they are worried about your safety, of course), and activists won’t let you hike to Honomalino Beach, and so on. There are squatters at almost every beach, including some State Parks (e g Ke’ei).This is pretty much “Hawaii for Hawaiians!” in action.
Start believing, practicing and rewriting something nonexistent referred to as responsible capitalism.
When i first came to hawaii 30 years there was aloha and obviously
work stress. locals worked two jobs. About 2016 there was palpable sense of non-welcome. Officially Hawaiians while working were always courteous and friendly, but out on a beach not so much.
The #1 reason tourism is down here and will stay down. Is that the dollar is really strong. Most tourists will take the bargains from
the Caribbean or Mexio or Costa Rica or Europe, while seeing Hawaii is still at its covid-high and higher-prices.
The silion vally rich types can handle it, the working class and foreign tourist are fleeing from an arrogant & greedy hawaii
We have always loved & respected the people and the islands of Hawaii. We have gone to other destinations other that Hawaii due to the unwanted feelings towards non-locals, rental car break-ins, hotel & car rental tax increases, along with hotel & car price increases. Yes, there are some rude tourist but they are all over the world. What ever happened to the “Aloha Spirit”?
I’ve lived in San Francisco for 33 years (and always in CA) and we have lots of issues too.
But I cannot imagine being unwelcoming to visitors.
We Love them. I love meeting folks from around the world.
As in HI, CA has a housing crisis too. So we have restricted short term rentals. There’s a huge push here to build more affordable housing.
Its very said to hear Hawaiians are biting the hand that feeds them.
I lost interest in visiting HI after Covid. $700 hotel rooms??!!!??
Instead, I’ve been to Europe 4 times. More culture, $130 nice hotels, cool food. And a smiling welcome.
Newsflash. Europeans are getting fed up with obnoxious Americans too. The fees and restrictions have just begun to become more prevalent everywhere.