Hawaii is finally shifting its tourism focus back to its core, aiming to quickly reinvigorate its faltering travel industry. This strategic pivot seeks to integrate hard-learned lessons for a sustainable future.
Hawaii is finally shifting its tourism focus back to its core, aiming to quickly reinvigorate its faltering travel industry. This strategic pivot seeks to integrate hard-learned lessons for a sustainable future.
Too little, too late for me. Take a potato and make cuts in it with a knife. Will that potato heal? Words having been said about “go away” or “we don’t want you here” cut like a knife. Those wounds will never heal. The beauty of paradise on earth is lost without the true aloha among its people. I have found more beauty in the people of other lands than I will ever find on an island that closes itself off to welcoming and sharing the aloha of their home. I continue to grieve for Hawaii and her people.
Sadly, there has been so much negative press regarding the “dislike” of tourists and talk of visitor fees that alot of people I believe have decided that Hawaii is not for them. I am sure people who feel that they are not welcomed have told that to others and that people who have never been to Hawaii hearing this have chosen to vacation elsewhere. The politicians have cut their own throats with fees etc and I am not sure tourist will ever come back in the numbers needed to sustain a healthy economy. They got what asked for.
Shame on them and the locals who showed disdain for the visitors.
Hawaii has become too expensive car rentals and hotels. Spending a little more Tahiti is an hour more to fly from the west coast and cars are not required. Same time zone as Hawaii. We do love the Big Island and will return but other places are resonable.
Significant damage has been done chasing away past regular travelers. My wife and I have come to the islands around 50 times and due to the negatively, poor infrastructure and higher costs will maybe come a couple more time over the next 10 years.
What happened to “stay home” and “don’t come”? Was it all performative nonsense?
When your average hotel rates are $400.00/per night for a basic room coupled with sub par service and greeted with animosity not Aloha, why are you not surprised that mainland tourism is declining?
It seems too little too late to me. Gouging Hawaii Hotels which have priced the middle-class out of a Hawaii vacation; industry wide frequent last minute flight cancellations, diverted flights, rising prices of flight; gouging on everyday necessitiess, beach fees, overpriced tours; rampant greed amongst all Hawaiian providers. All conspire to turn visitors away and to other vacation spots. Hawaii has made its own bed and it appears there is no going back.
Well, at $1,000.00 per night for a decent room, ridiculous car rental fees, the most expensive food on the planet, angry locals, the need for a security guard for your car every time you park, it’s no wonder we’re going elsewhere.
I wish you all the love imaginable, but it’s gone way too far…
I think the new focus on mainland USA visitors will bear fruit. After all, I doubt that most potential visitors have a clue as to how the HTA really wants tourists from Japan and not their fellow Americans.
Hawaii Tourism needs to make up its mind whether they truly want the visitors or not. Some people felt insulted by recent tourism programs that seemed to imply that many visitors from the mainland were disrespectful or cheap. If the tourism office insults people they may well have a hard time luring them back, especially with the soaring prices of a Hawaiian vacation.
Mufi is in bed with major hotels based elsewhere. He wants to eliminate more affordable vacation rentals in an effort to keep the inflated hotel prices where they are. That strategy is backfiring badly.
Trying to attract “mindful” well-to-do tourists from other countries is failing badly due to a multitude of reasons. Encouraging mindful domestic tourism is the way to go, and offering more affordable accommodations to domestic tourists are the way to go.
Eliminating vacation rentals as a more affordable alternative is a recipe for disaster. Mindful hosting is just as important as mindful tourism. No matter how you cut the cake, tourism is Hawaii’s lifeblood.
Too expensive in Hawai’i. Go to Europe, Japan, Fiji
Even a world cruise is more affordable than a week in Hawaii for 2.
I understand your intent but your analogy is ridiculous unless you happen to be taking that world cruise on the S.S. Minnow!
The cost of vacationing has skyrocketed making it unattainable to many visitors. We have been going to Hawaii for the better part of 40 years and have one more trip planned for June. But the cost of all the taxes involved is equal to if not more than the actual nightly rate of the condo we are staying in. We always stay in the same condo in Kihei. Our seven day stay this year cost us more than our 12 day stay in the past. Not to mention the airfare is ridiculously expensive. If they need more mainland visitors, there has to he something done about the cost of visiting. We love Hawaii? But our pocket books just can’t afford us another trip after this year.
“Who knows, maybe Governor Green will even speak out next about the importance of U.S. mainland visitors returning to Hawaii.”
He can work it in the same press conference in which he announces he signed the law aimed at getting rid of vacation rentals.
So sad, too bad, too late. The only reason I go is to continue the work I do with the monk seals on Kauai. The way we were treated during covid over there was so abysmal that, were there seals in Ohio, I would never bother to go back.
Trying to dance the tango whilst the Governor shoots them in the foot…
‘Jekyll & Hyde’ resonates, Green’s 2 trips to Japan obviously were fallow, despite the Wining and Dining, the variable now, is the Airlines have made their changes because of the Hawaiian anti-Mainland Haole climate, by reducing Flights, changing to smaller more efficient aircraft from the West Coast, Phoenix, Las Vegas. Time will tell.
Wintering in the south and southwest U.S., as well as South America, is much, Much more affordable — and much easier — than Hawaii this past year. This will continue for a decade at least.
On the mainland, a very nice STR or Airbnb can be had for $3k a month, including at least two bedrooms, full kitchen, even a garage. You can pay Much less on the mainland if all you need is a studio or small condo for one or two people.
For $3k, you can’t get three Days in a laughably overpriced Hawaii hotel, after you add in all the fees and taxes. Then tack on the ultra-expensive rental car + fees + taxes, the outrageous restaurant prices. Forget it.
did they lift all the crazy tourist fees?
are hotels back down to sane levels?
if not… i think theres plenty of sand to pound on those islands!
Too little too late for us. We’re going to Turks and Caicos. Much more reasonable cost wise and actually not a complicated place to get to from Las Vegas.
Again, the MSM isn’t going to tell you that 26 states area already in recession. California is a huge state, Hawaii’s biggest market, and is leading the pack with rising unemployment. People and businesses are broke from the crazy inflation created by the Fed and huge government deficit spending.
Layoffs are mounting around the country. The BLS keeps putting out garbage headline news jobs numbers, which keep getting revised heavily downwards (not headline news).
Hawaii’s non-diversified economy, the 3-legged stool, of tourism, construction and military is hilarious. With an obvious downturn coming in tourism, construction is laughable as commercial is way overbuilt. Tons of empty buildings.