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.
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.