It was just a few days ago that a Hawaii Visitor and Convention Bureau (HVCB) representative said that the idea of a universal visitor fee is “dead on arrival,” per the state legislature. But now, the lead candidate for governor says otherwise.
The universal fee had been the #1 goal of the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA).
A universal visitor fee has been discussed as far back as 1970 when it was first discussed as a tax system to offset visitors’ impact with a fee. HVCB would have been at the implementation end of that fee had their contract not been unceremoniously yanked and at least temporarily handed over to the newcomer Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA).
Not to stray too far, a vast dispute is just beginning between Hawaii’s marketing partners. The governor has held up even the HTA’s funding. In the meantime, HTA said it would temporarily extend its contract with HVCB. The reason is that it gives three months to “provide adequate time to resolve the current protest” between all parties—that per Hawaii’s Tourism Director Mike McCartney.
A universal Hawaii visitor fee proposal surfaces again.
Since HVCB announced that the universal Hawaii visitor fee idea was dead, we’ve now heard very much to the contrary. Frontrunner gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Josh Green said in an interview that he would like to implement a “climate impact fee” of $50 per person.
That fee would apply to all Hawaii visitors on arrival in the state. He said such a fee would raise an additional $500+ million annually. His suggested fee is aligned with estimates of how much money is needed to help reduce environmental issues resulting from tourism.
It isn’t clear how the state would allocate those funds or whether they could make their way to the general fund. The more we think about this, the more questions it raises.
Is a universal Hawaii visitor fee even legal?
Such a fee could be legally construed as interfering with inter-state travel and would discriminate against Hawaii visitors in a way that could conflict with laws and the Constitution. Other states that have implemented green fees enforce them on residents and visitors to avoid this conundrum.
Perhaps there is some other way to construe it. We don’t know. Let us know your thoughts on this, please!
The New Oahu destination management plan calls for a “regenerative tourism fee.”
The county fee “directly supports programs to regenerate Hawaii’s resources, protect natural resources, and address unfunded conservation liabilities.” When the plan was published, the HTA was still evaluating the nature of the fee, who should pay it, and how it would be enforced. We’re left wondering how there can even be both local and state green fees.
It’s not only Oahu that is planning on some form of “green fee.” Two bills in last year’s legislature sought to levy a state green fee of $20 per guest for each visitor accommodation. In that case, the money raised was to support environmental goals. Those, however, died in committee.
Other iconic destinations have implemented green fees.
Countries with green fees include the Pacific island country of Palau, which has a $100 visitor fee. The Galapagos Islands also has a $100 fee which is due to rise and is collected by the airlines. But those are foreign countries, not a state.
Should both visitors and residents pay?
Many believe it is better to implement a universal fee for environmental remediation that both visitors and residents pay. It’s worth noting that when locals travel and stay at accommodations in Hawaii, they pay as much as visitors in terms of taxes. However, it’s controversial, and in a 20-year-old case, a federal court ruling sided with Honolulu concerning the legality of imposing fees at Hanauma Bay on visitors only.
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The type of visitor fee being discussed is repugnant and clearly unconstitutional. Nonetheless, I guarantee you if Hawaii moves ahead with this I will seek a ballot initiative in my state to charge every visitor from Hawaii an amount that would be sufficient to reimburse every traveler from my state. If you think it’s fair to charge us to visit you then it should be fair for us to charge you to get our money back.
A perfect idea to combat the “grab as much as you can” political ideas in Hawaii. No fees or taxation will ever be enough to satisfy the waste, fraud and govt inefficiencies in the Islands.
Well, that depends on where you live. Is your state a tourist destination?
Aloha, this is our island, other countries and charging different ways and hows for purpose that it needs in their county. Japan charges ¥3000 yen for “airport tax” They paused it at time but brought it back now that Handea is in full swing. Check other countries I’m sure there might be something like this along the line.
Thank you and aloha to our islands!
Ahhh but you forget…Hawaii is Not a country. The islands receive protection and benefits of being a state of the USA.
Just more taxation. Can’t account for the tax money they spend, just more corruption lining politicians pockets.
I believe the $50 per person fee rountrip to Hawaii will benefit every resource Hawaii has to protect while maintaining the land and resources. The excess $$ will also benefit the rainy day fund, schools, hospitals and much more.
Laura K
I believe the $50 per person fee rountrip to Hawaii will benefit every resource Hawaii has to protect while maintaining the land and resources. The excess $$ will also benefit the rainy day fund, schools, hospitals and much more.
Laura K
The appropriate place to collect it would be at the lodging level, but with Airbnb and all the other BS of the “gig economy” the ruckus raised about the imposing the mechanics of collection on the investeor class to mill their money out of the properties would be deafening. Speaking of the investor class, the reason for inflation is that quantitative easing and zero interest rates were sustained for too long based on their demands, and money was too cheap. Which left hordes of mainland folks with money to park in Hawai’i properties, resulting in price increases across the board, pricing kamaaina and visitors alike out of housing.
Complete, utter nonsense base upon fiscally irresponsible political decisions.
You cannot charge an American citizen a “Fee” to pass through or visit your (or any other) State in these United States.
Hawaii already has the highest and most insulting tourism fees and tourism taxes in the USA. But of course, it is never enough. Want to bee reall progressive? Try actually rolling back taxes and fees and being a tad more fiscally responsib.
I love Hawaii and my grandchildren and great-grandchildren are part Hawaiian & live on Oahu.
The fees and taxes to stay on Hawaii are getting to be too much. Seniors on fixed incomes sacrifice a lot to have a visit to family. The hotel fees are too much on top of high daily rates.
If every State charged a visitor fee, would you visit? What about boats, ships, and private planes that visitors arrive on?
Want to limit visitors? Quit building hotels and condos!
I’d gladly pay 50$ and try not to support commercial establishments while I’m there only mom and pop shops. I’ll be back regardless the cost !
Mahalo
Hi Liam! I’m getting a real education through some people who post things like you have. I’m fairly certain that despite all of the plus factors that you have listed there are drawbacks to living in Hawaii. My son in laws brother, a good friend of mine, owns a home in Kahala and I do stay there when I vacation. The Prices were high prior to this craziness, now it’s astronomical. Being surrounded by water and Everything must be shipped in, for the most part, causing high prices and shortages to exist, Oahu in good times didn’t have more than 2 weeks of food on the shelf. Now who knows how much. I love to visit but glad I don’t live there, too many variables for me.
Definitely not. I’m a property owner but it’s not my home address. I pay exhorbitant taxes to support the economy already. There needs to be accountability for the money received and it sounds like there is not any.
Same here – our daughter and son-in-law live in Hawaii. But I guess now when a visitor who gets off a plane looks like we do, we’ll be lumped in with the hated tourists, which is frankly depressing :-(.
Absolutely Not! Hawaii is going to tax and fee the visitors and residents right out of business. People will vacation elsewhere! As a resident, if I’m charged to visit the beach…I’m outta here. Josh Green had my vote until I read that he supports this nonsense, now he’s dead to me!!
Hi Liam G, you’re right about Never Let A Tragedy Go To Waste, another would be No New Taxes so they just keep increasing the old ones! Maybe they will get people to believe that Beach Erosion is “Climate Change” and come up with a tax for that! A Reverse the Waves Movement. Some people would contribute if it were packaged properly! There’s already people complaining about too many people walking on the beaches. They should be happy, trampling on sand makes it more powdery! Unrealistic Expectations powered by False Interpretation of Facts, hopefully people will realize the trap that they’re caught up in before it’s too late.
I’d think you would have to charge everyone (residents & visitors) then offer up a state tax rebate for residences matching the fee (or at least a good percentage of the fee). I wonder if that would hold up in court. As a visitor only to Hawaii, while I don’t like the idea of a new fee to visit, I understand it and if it was sold to visitors in the right way — that is, going to the right causes, fixes, etc. — perhaps it wouldn’t impact tourism that much. I suspect that as long as it was added to the price of a plane ticket at the point of purchase, people would accept it as the cost of going to paradise. I know I’d pay.
People need to stop the “paradise” label, it’s cheapening the meaning. This is the problem. They float this fee out there and people start enabling, “well maybe this, well maybe that… ” how about no end of story. I live in Arizona, this is more paradise honestly (I lived in Hawaii for almost 20 years). Hawaii’s kinda like the Ford family genius founder, now loser relatives living off that, look at Ford now and the Detroit Lions, dysfunctional failures living in the past. No Fee they just raised taxes on hotels, fees for all the parks, and property taxes are going up on homeowners. Sales tax busting with all the visitors, fees on planes arriving, goes on forever. It’s nothing but a money grab. Never let a tragedy go to waste.
I live on the mainland and I’ve had the priviledge of visiting Hawaii on multiple occasions. There’s no elegant answer to a very complicated issue. But, I think a visitor fee should be charged to non-resident visitors. The proceeds raised should be allocated towards environmental preservation and management, low-income family services (i.e. food insecurity, rent support, housing assistance, job training/placement), infrastructure.
It’s a double-edged sword for us visitors. The best thing we can do to support Hawaii’s environment and its residents is to not visit. But if we do visit, we need to be respectful of its land and residents. I would encourage all visitors to participate in local clean-up efforts or community outreach programs.
Bao T, When I Vacation it’s Not a Chance for Someone to take advantage of my visit to force free labor from me. I choose to Relax and enjoy my limited time away, not work! A $50 Entrance Fee isn’t appropriate but I would have to pay it, Slavery was Abolished. The Money goes toward Cleaning Up, spend it and don’t even ask is how I feel. A Requirement would be different, I would save the $50 and Vacation Elsewhere that appreciates tourists. Maybe next we will be forced to be Housekeeping and Waiters for a day! Never know. Schemes for a day in Hawaii, maybe soon to be Two.
I struggle as it is to visit my son and his daughter. Way to kill family values, Hawaii! We are not all tourists.
Hey there Liam G! They didn’t want to do anything to disrupt the easy money from tourism. Attempting to lure Businesses to Hawaii, the type needed, isn’t that easy, even if they wanted to. The Negative Aspects to Businesses are almost insurmountable, the Local and State Government would have to give many long-term breaks to attract. Even then they typically leave when the breaks expire leaving Hawaii in worse shape. Hawaii Needs Manufacturing but what about needed workforce.
Hi there Rob T, I’m not sure if you were kidding or being serious. I fully expect that the Fee will be increased regularly, no doubts there. To “Exclude” the undesirables would mean beginning with the Homeless Population. If you’re talking about Troublesome Tourists the Best way of excluding them would be a Police Presence and Enforcement, that would cause many not to come back. Increasing Taxes, Fee’s and Prices across the board will have a Negative Effect on Everyone, not just Tourists. Keeping only the Wealthy Tourists will not be enough to keep Hawaii in Enough Revenue to Survive. Covid was not even 2 years, imagine the losses being Permanent! Think about that, it’s what many want.
Hi Patrick, I agree that the list eventually over time would cover up to 25 percent of the people coming to Hawaii. My wife and I actually, and honestly, qualify under numbers 1 and 3 on your short list. It’s doubtful that $50 each will stop us from coming but we also want to know that the Money is going to where it’s supposed to be and Not Stolen by the Governor or Anyone Else! That’s an Important part of this Fee.
This feels like an amusement park admission fee. This wouldn’t be feasible if we were traveling from state to state on the mainland but can be done in Hawaii by charging us as soon as we step off the plane? I love the natural beauty of Hawaii and appreciate that the locals want to keep it precious but the dislike for visitors has really gotten out of hand. Even in tourist attractions people don’t feel welcome. Where is this $ really going to go? Into the pockets of the politicians bucking for it? I doubt they are going to use it to build little fences around the coral reef. Hawaii needs to remember that it is still part of the USA and charging Americans to come into something that is part of our country is just….wow.
Hello,
If the Universal Visitor Fee ever did go into effect, it should definitely go into a specific fund that applies to something that All visitors utilize, and that is the roadways. My wife and I own a condo on Kauai and are on Island 2-3 months per year.
So many roadways are in need of more constant upkeep. Lining of roadways both on center and side of lanes along with reflectors, would be of great help, since the dark and night rains make it difficult to see in many locations. Filling large pot holes quicker and finishing major projects faster ( think Kuhio hwy in front of The Coco Palms Resort ). If a possible Universal Visitor got dumped into The General Fund, it would most likely end up being ineffective. Aloha!
Why is it that governments,,not just Hawaii decide to raise taxes when times are getting hard…