132 thoughts on “Hawaii 2020: Biting The Hand That Feeds Us”
Jason R.
We have postponed our trip to Oahu/Kuala for the last time…cancelled and looking elsewhere. I’m sure the majority of islanders are pleased with that. At $10k per trip, the tourists are the cream. Of course there are idiots in any group, however in my 3 trips I have not seen anything myself. I know aloha also means goodbye.
1
Tomi o
Tech is on it’s way. Please learn from the mistakes CA made regarding ‘brick and mortar’ offices and unnecessary commute. Don’t let Tech millionaire mentality drive housing costs too high
Tomi O
Hawaii has an opportunity to dictate it’s future as the next tech hot spot. Bay Area ultimately failed because, underneath all the hype, they allowed a ‘brick and mortar office + daily commute’ lobby group to control the workforce.
Please, let them buy in Pahoa and Keaau. Work from home and I vest in delightful community gardens and all that lovely yuppie, farm to table, sustainable rhetoric they were especially fond of before burying CA’s working class under outrageous housing costs.
They are on the way.
Patrick R
This is the best article I have read yet on all of these topics. Thank for not being bias one way or the other. I personally feel the locals may not like it but you’ve created your own monster in the tourism industry. Also due to Covid you can clearly see you cant have it both ways. I’ve also noticed as an outsider looking in(lived here 1.5 years) that the state of Hawaiis govt from top to bottom seems very out of sorts and all over the place(trying to keep it family friendly). Again excellent article
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Patrick.
Thanks. Welcome to Hawaii.
Aloha.
Tomi O
Well said.
Calvin
I have been to Honolulu 3 times since covid. I do feel pressure from the local. I understand the fear but let’s be honest, treat tourists bad and you will starve
1
Al
As I stated, We welcome all visitors here, but not the ones that have no respect. Just because you come here and support our economy, that doesn’t mean you
Can do whatever you want to do.
Cf
Tourists are treated badly due to skin color Al. Its the new Hawaiian way during covid. Ratchet up the ignorance and fear mongering and find a scapegoat. Voila!
The tourists must be at fault and must be the only ones spreading covid to the desired colony status of Hawaii. Hope for the best though and do nothing, no plan to diversify jobs and vote any different.
Just keep respecting and expect others to respect Hawaii. But do nothing. Just expect. Aloha this, aloha that, and now hello covid!
1
Greg D.
Please notice the covid pandemic is far more than a pause to Hawaii’s tourism industry. It’s a paradigm shift.
Waikiki is no longer vertically occupied and controllable. Tourism will choose to be horizontal for many years ahead.
The Airbnb shift is ensuing, while covid tracing of tourists is impossible to enforce. Why endure failure ?
State, County & City government needs to bite the bullet. Stop dancing on the edge of approach-avoidance.
Stop non essential tourism now and until America has an effective vaccine across the Country. Then restart a scientific protocal.
In the meantime State government, please release state and federal funds to assist local business, disburse accrued unemployment benefits, account to the public regarding budget funds lingering in suspension; fund the food banks. Use all federal assistance possible to leverage funds necessary to keep Hawaii’s essential workers in place in this hub of the Pacific basin’s economy. Lift us up ! Bring our top business and industry leaders together in an emergency symposium with our Government leaders and representatives and create and publish a Plan to identify, modify, and enhance Hawaii’s best chances for a new economy. Prepare for a multi disciplined new start. Redirect tourism to activities that are more compatible with Hawaii’s higher roads to economic enhancement in sustainable agriculture, ocean related industries, ecology, biology, geothermal, wind and solar energy, etc. Trust in Hawaii’s brain power and spirit to achieve. The people of Hawaii have the talent to envision a new economy built on far more than a vertically stacked economic base exclusive to tourism in Waikiki. Thank you.
Teresa J
I have a vacation rental and some long term rentals. I pay a lot in property tax. My feelings are mixed. Some tourists are horrible but most are nice and happy to be here.
I can see that enjoying the islands is hard for locals. Having to pay to park and paying the high cost of rent makes life hard for many. There should be some high tech industries on islands for the educated locals. Tourism does not pay the workers well enough for them to live here.
Betty P
We are so disappointed that our planned trip to Kauai in January will probably not happen. From what I can understand, we would have to quarantine for 14 days before we could start to enjoy our trip. We usually stay for a month, but this time we planned to stay for 6 weeks. But spending 33% of our time in quarentine is not appealing. I really don’t understand why we can’t provide a negative test within 72 hours of arriving. We love Hawaii and Kauai especially.
Bob C
My wife and I have traveled to Hawaii 8 times since 1988. We love the islands and the spirit of Aloha. We were planning another trip in April but have to take a “wait and see” approach.
Gene K
Being a Hawaiian on the mainland, gives me a different view. Being primarily tourist driven, the State has NO ideas/plans for anything else, now or ever. The people voted for these politicians and they have failed to do what’s best for the people and the Islands! Sorry but I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Covid-19 has exposed the lack of foresight.
Wehart H
I totally agree with what you have said. Over the many years the “local” mentality overrode all the ideas that could have benefitted the State. Thinking that tourism would be there forever has been a real eye opener. I myself initially left the islands in 1975 and returned home in 1988 to give it another try of living there. Needless to say that I left again in 1996, permanently, because the salaries were to low and the cost of living to high. A mainland corporation offered me $10K more than what I made in Hawaii to come back to the mainland. I love the people of Hawaii, its foods, and all of the life style that is associated with it but I have to be practical, the 9th Island is where I retired to and am very happy here.
Comments are closed.
Aloha!
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
Stay abreast of the latest island travel news, tips, deals, and more. Subscribe to our FREE newsletter and let Hawaii come to you. Mahalo!
We have postponed our trip to Oahu/Kuala for the last time…cancelled and looking elsewhere. I’m sure the majority of islanders are pleased with that. At $10k per trip, the tourists are the cream. Of course there are idiots in any group, however in my 3 trips I have not seen anything myself. I know aloha also means goodbye.
Tech is on it’s way. Please learn from the mistakes CA made regarding ‘brick and mortar’ offices and unnecessary commute. Don’t let Tech millionaire mentality drive housing costs too high
Hawaii has an opportunity to dictate it’s future as the next tech hot spot. Bay Area ultimately failed because, underneath all the hype, they allowed a ‘brick and mortar office + daily commute’ lobby group to control the workforce.
Please, let them buy in Pahoa and Keaau. Work from home and I vest in delightful community gardens and all that lovely yuppie, farm to table, sustainable rhetoric they were especially fond of before burying CA’s working class under outrageous housing costs.
They are on the way.
This is the best article I have read yet on all of these topics. Thank for not being bias one way or the other. I personally feel the locals may not like it but you’ve created your own monster in the tourism industry. Also due to Covid you can clearly see you cant have it both ways. I’ve also noticed as an outsider looking in(lived here 1.5 years) that the state of Hawaiis govt from top to bottom seems very out of sorts and all over the place(trying to keep it family friendly). Again excellent article
Hi Patrick.
Thanks. Welcome to Hawaii.
Aloha.
Well said.
I have been to Honolulu 3 times since covid. I do feel pressure from the local. I understand the fear but let’s be honest, treat tourists bad and you will starve
As I stated, We welcome all visitors here, but not the ones that have no respect. Just because you come here and support our economy, that doesn’t mean you
Can do whatever you want to do.
Tourists are treated badly due to skin color Al. Its the new Hawaiian way during covid. Ratchet up the ignorance and fear mongering and find a scapegoat. Voila!
The tourists must be at fault and must be the only ones spreading covid to the desired colony status of Hawaii. Hope for the best though and do nothing, no plan to diversify jobs and vote any different.
Just keep respecting and expect others to respect Hawaii. But do nothing. Just expect. Aloha this, aloha that, and now hello covid!
Please notice the covid pandemic is far more than a pause to Hawaii’s tourism industry. It’s a paradigm shift.
Waikiki is no longer vertically occupied and controllable. Tourism will choose to be horizontal for many years ahead.
The Airbnb shift is ensuing, while covid tracing of tourists is impossible to enforce. Why endure failure ?
State, County & City government needs to bite the bullet. Stop dancing on the edge of approach-avoidance.
Stop non essential tourism now and until America has an effective vaccine across the Country. Then restart a scientific protocal.
In the meantime State government, please release state and federal funds to assist local business, disburse accrued unemployment benefits, account to the public regarding budget funds lingering in suspension; fund the food banks. Use all federal assistance possible to leverage funds necessary to keep Hawaii’s essential workers in place in this hub of the Pacific basin’s economy. Lift us up ! Bring our top business and industry leaders together in an emergency symposium with our Government leaders and representatives and create and publish a Plan to identify, modify, and enhance Hawaii’s best chances for a new economy. Prepare for a multi disciplined new start. Redirect tourism to activities that are more compatible with Hawaii’s higher roads to economic enhancement in sustainable agriculture, ocean related industries, ecology, biology, geothermal, wind and solar energy, etc. Trust in Hawaii’s brain power and spirit to achieve. The people of Hawaii have the talent to envision a new economy built on far more than a vertically stacked economic base exclusive to tourism in Waikiki. Thank you.
I have a vacation rental and some long term rentals. I pay a lot in property tax. My feelings are mixed. Some tourists are horrible but most are nice and happy to be here.
I can see that enjoying the islands is hard for locals. Having to pay to park and paying the high cost of rent makes life hard for many. There should be some high tech industries on islands for the educated locals. Tourism does not pay the workers well enough for them to live here.
We are so disappointed that our planned trip to Kauai in January will probably not happen. From what I can understand, we would have to quarantine for 14 days before we could start to enjoy our trip. We usually stay for a month, but this time we planned to stay for 6 weeks. But spending 33% of our time in quarentine is not appealing. I really don’t understand why we can’t provide a negative test within 72 hours of arriving. We love Hawaii and Kauai especially.
My wife and I have traveled to Hawaii 8 times since 1988. We love the islands and the spirit of Aloha. We were planning another trip in April but have to take a “wait and see” approach.
Being a Hawaiian on the mainland, gives me a different view. Being primarily tourist driven, the State has NO ideas/plans for anything else, now or ever. The people voted for these politicians and they have failed to do what’s best for the people and the Islands! Sorry but I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Covid-19 has exposed the lack of foresight.
I totally agree with what you have said. Over the many years the “local” mentality overrode all the ideas that could have benefitted the State. Thinking that tourism would be there forever has been a real eye opener. I myself initially left the islands in 1975 and returned home in 1988 to give it another try of living there. Needless to say that I left again in 1996, permanently, because the salaries were to low and the cost of living to high. A mainland corporation offered me $10K more than what I made in Hawaii to come back to the mainland. I love the people of Hawaii, its foods, and all of the life style that is associated with it but I have to be practical, the 9th Island is where I retired to and am very happy here.