For years, Hawaii tourism has been shaped by two loud voices. Residents have warned of cost of living pressures, crowded beaches, and both cultural and infrastructure strain. Visitors have wondered, on the other hand, whether the islands still deliver value at ever-rising prices and if they can still feel welcome.
This week, an important new voice joined the debate. A UHERO report reveals candid interviews with executives from Hawaii hotels and airlines, and their views show just how divided the future of Hawaii tourism has become.
Where residents, visitors, and industry see eye to eye.
There was one area of agreement. Hawaii’s visitor infrastructure is simply not keeping up. Crumbling restrooms, traffic jams at popular sites, and strained roads were all cited as issues. Readers have been telling us the same for years in thousands of comments. Families waiting for locked park bathrooms or visitors stunned by the condition of facilities while paying top dollar for their trips are familiar stories. Now hotel and airline executives echo those very same frustrations.
Workforce problems also unite all three groups. High housing costs and unstable wages drive workers away, leaving hotels and airlines struggling to maintain service quality despite their best efforts. Visitors feel the difference at check-in desks and on flights. Residents see it in their communities as service jobs that no longer sustain a decent living. We noted this in our earlier look at restroom and service shortfalls, and executives just confirmed it.
The growing divide over Hawaii’s tourism future.
The most striking divide is over the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Residents and lawmakers have already cut HTA’s reach, moved oversight to the Governor, and shifted focus toward destination management. Hotels and airlines, meanwhile, continue to push for stronger marketing. Their view is that Hawaii is losing ground to other tropical destinations, including Tahiti, which is adding new flights and offering lower costs.
For residents, more marketing feels like a return to business as usual, with overcrowded beaches and unbearable traffic, but little relief at home. For the travel industry, without promotion, Hawaii’s market share and spending are slipping away. UHERO’s report shows this stalemate as the deepest fault line in Hawaii travel.
Hawaii’s green fee: Will $100 million make a difference?
Another focus was Hawaii’s new green fee, expected to generate more than $100 million each year. Both residents and executives said it will only work if the results are clearly visible. That means cleaner beaches, safer trails, and maintained cultural sites that everyone can see and measure.
UHERO called for regular, publicly accessible reports that track exactly how funds are spent and what they achieve. This is the kind of transparency readers have demanded in our coverage of hidden fees. Without it, public trust will vanish quickly.
A call for one statewide playbook.
Executives also called for a standardized framework to manage high traffic visitor sites across all islands. That would mean consistent capacity limits, entry systems, and public reporting. Currently, visitors face a patchwork of ad hoc permits and closures, such as the weekly shutdowns we recently reported. A statewide playbook could replace confusion with predictability, benefiting both residents and travelers.
Why this matters now.
The UHERO report lands at a fragile moment for Hawaii’s travel industry. Visitor arrivals and spending have been slowing. Rival islands in the South Pacific are expanding access and offering more value. Hawaii is still deciding whether it wants more visitors, fewer visitors, or different visitors altogether.
Hotels and airlines are seeing their competitiveness slip away. Residents see daily life and culture strained. Visitors see value eroding. This clash is now out in the open, and the future direction remains unsettled.
Which change would matter most for Hawaii’s future: real limits at crowded sites, proof of where green fee money goes, or smarter marketing that brings the right visitors? Tell us what you think in the comment section.
Photo Credit: Beat of Hawaii on Maui.
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Limits and portioning are great ideas. Transparency shouldn’t just apply to the green fee, it should apply to all the taxes taken in from our local governments. It just seems that the 5.69 billion dollars Fy 2022 and the county’s budget of 1.06 billion dollars FY 2022 is too far apart. Profits that leave the island should be taxed at a much higher rate, until the county’s budget and the amount of profits that are put back in the community are greater than 18%. One solution to this is treating tourism as a public utility and regulating it through an independent mechanism like the Public Utilities Comission. Which already regulates certain tour busses. Ultimately the excessive tourism we all feel here has not elevated our schools, our careers, our infrastructure or our community the way people say it does.
Pricing is thru the roof and the people of Maui make it very clear to visitors that they are not wanted. Have had many wonderful vacations here but this is our last. We’re here now and visiting our favorite restaurants one last time. We don’t plan on returning after this trip. No reason to visit somewhere we are met with hostility. I wish the residents well and hope their dream comes true and tourism exits the islands. Aloha
I had to leave the Big Island after nearly two decades. The high cost of living was the main factor. The rents I paid in Hawaii in the 1990s is still more than what we pay living overseas these days. Hawaii like many places is being ruined by greed and politics. Aloha Nui loa.
100 million is not going to make a appreciable difference unless that is applied purely to wages.. which it is not.
And I’m a bit confused.. this site and Maui news have been lamenting the loss of visitors and lower vacation spending Over And Over and Over .. but you this article makes it sound like a visitor Apocalypse with throngs and throngs of guests.. Which Is It!?
Hi, we love Hawaii having Visited over 16 times and even renewed our wedding vows at the Moana Surfrider at Waikiki Beach. However Hawaii is loosing it’s point of difference against other destinations IE: Japan etc . One has to feel happy 😌 content, not feel that you are being ripped off at every turn, hotels etc etc.
I drive Uber in Waikiki , 75% visitors say they will never come back
Too expensive and they feel like they are really getting ripped off
Hi. There just is too much wasteful spending on studies that are supposed to come up with solutions. Also add on that county and state workers are not getting the work contracts finished in a timely fashion. Incompetence, laziness, and dissatisfaction with their jobs which I am sure pay good money and benefits. The worker mentality aligns with the laid back attitude of the islands. Who wants to visit when all of these conditions have/are continuing to exist.
I don’t think you can stop exodus from Hawaii travel with sky high pricing, closed beaches, $35 bucks to park at some beaches with old, worn out and filthy restrooms, if the restroom is open at all. Some beaches are just closed for years with no apparent reason. The good news is there are plenty of jobs on the mainland for locals to take and move off the island for good, just like my kid’s grandparents did a long time ago. My dental hygienist is a Maui native.
Barcelona and New Zealand have already figured this out – so really it’s just borrowing their playbook.
Kind of like they should’ve just called their Japanese cousins/counterparts to come build the rail, which is now a money suck and local joke.
Think smart Hawai’i~
I am 70. I’ve wanted to visit Hawaii for more than 40 years. Finally, I am going, God willing. But I feel discouraged, to think that I’m spending all this money to go to a place where I’m considered a problem instead of a guest. I’m rather sad that the residents feel that way.
Maureen, welcome and please don’t think that it’s all bad. Some of us welcome you with open arms. The Hawaiians have been fighting amongst themselves and with tourists for as long as can be. I wish you a pleasant stay. The restaurants are fabulous, and a lot of people are gracious and kind!
Aloha,
I would love to see an easier system of reservations. We have quit going to see anything because it is too confusing! Also, restrooms please! I can honestly say in my travels Hawaii has the worst bathrooms, and that’s if you can even find an open one!
Mahalo,