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.
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157 thoughts on “Hawaii Tourism Authority Now Says U.S. Mainland Visitors Desperately Needed!”
Green and the Maui Mayor pretty much saw to this by declaring one day after the Lahaina fire to “please do not come to Maui”. How else are prospective visitors supposed to interpret this statement? One does not make this type of decision off the top of their heads. It is evident now, as it has for decades, the Hawaii government is ill prepared to lead the state into the future.
I’ve really gotten sick and tired of Hawaii’s self-importance. Expecting visitors to bend the knee, as if Hawaii isn’t benefiting hugely from our dollars and presence. Always griping about political and historical issues we personally had no hand in, and many of us have personally experienced similar things in our own ancestral homelands. You guys aren’t different or more special than the rest of humanity that has suffered too. Well, I’m done. Spending my money in Tahiti and Europe this summer. Not sure if or when I’ll ever go back to Hawaii.
This message is simple : Hawaii you harvest what you sow.
HTA – man-up and admit to colossally screwing up. Take responsibility for your actions and maybe over time a good public relations front can put visitation back on track. However, it in the short-run, you created this situation and will have to suffer through it.
Here’s how sales go… It is far, far easier to sell again to someone you know, who loves you and your product, and has been with you for years than to go looking for a new love somewhere else. That’s just a fact. That’s why you don’t say you’re going for foreign tourists and that their money and “sensitivity” will be better than folks who have loved visiting Kihei for 30 years. It’s 10 times as hard to sell to someone knew than to an old friend.
Wow! I want to say “too little, too late”. We love Hawai’i and will go as often as we can, and have been since 2004, but we are in that group that HTA has repeatedly stated they don’t want. What happened? Did the high spenders from the international sector decide they wanted to go elsewhere; more bang for their buck”? Very sad that HTA disparaged so many well meaning US visitors, because some of them are going elsewhere too. We’ll be on Maui, next year, but maybe the entity whispering in HTA’s ear is gone. Hope they find their way. Aloha.
Rental cars unavailable, if found too expensive. Accomodations too expensive. You have forgotten your fellow Americans. We love you. But the aloha spirit is pau. 🙏🏼❤️💯
After 35 years and 25+ trips we are done with Hawaii for now. Maybe when the Hawaiians elect more visitor friendly leadership with pro tourist policies we and others will return. All the best to Hawaiian residents who we have always found cordial.
Question to Jeff and Rob.
Do you think or know if any of these incompetent politicians in Hawaii read these BOH comments???
If not, they should, so they can see what their horrible mismanagement has done. Have they lined their pockets so much with special interest money and stupid ideas that they have forgotten the people who they are supposed to be serving, the residents of Hawaii?!?!
Hi Daryl.
Yes, we believe that Hawaii travel industry stakeholders read BOH including the comments. Some of them have also commented publicly here.
Aloha.
BOH asked the question “is it too late for this to help?”. After reading all the comments the answer is pretty clear. Yes….it is too late.
They spent marketing dollars on people who will never return. Focus on Canada and the west coast. Welcome people who come every year. I flew over on an a 2/3 full flight then only 1/3 full to Maui. Got a $20 rental car plus outrageous fees of course. You’re focused on getting the super rich to come to the island but not regular folks so regular folks are going elsewhere. Keep all restaurants full, not just those in Wailea.
BOH you are amazing keeping us informed. “The success of this marketing pivot will not only be measured by increased visitor numbers but also by the quality of Hawaii tourism and the mutual benefits possible for both tourists and Hawaii residents.”
The above statement has a lot of depth in a small paragraph. ie; “the quality of Hawaii tourism…..” SoThe pricing out of us regular tourists is not a welcome mat. And our “perceptions” are correct that daily there are ‘locals” still telling us to stay away. Echoed on Maui for 2 years and now Kauai. The World is not a friendly place anymore, and the islands are no exception. This won’t change until respect is taught in early childhood At Home!
We’ve been vacationing in Maui for the past 25 yrs. One week stays turned into 10 day trips which eventually settled in at 4 week stays. Over the years we’ve watched prices for everything skyrocket. It seemed whenever the island was struggling to make the county budget the solution was to raise hotel / short term vacation rental taxes, charge for beach parking, etc. it was always the tourist fault for rough times and gradually the aloha spirit disappeared. The consensus of fellow travelers is HI was becoming too expensive and not very welcoming. Our friend group start announcing they are getting better deals in Mexico, Tahiti and Europe and stopped visiting. Very sad (preventable) situation. .
It’s too little, too late. We are headed to Napa Valley this October instead of Maui. We Spend roughly $3000.00 a day in Maui, and that doesn’t include The Shops of Wailea. We make our travel plans for Maui in January. We sadly miss all of it and hopefully the airline equipment, the hotel price gouging, and internal strife and angst will settle down. This in no way is a reflection on the heartbreaking issues from the devastating fire, but rather corporate entities in Maui taking advantage of the situation.
I’d really like to know how you spend 3000 a day. Even at 550 a day at orchid on big island, 2 rooms, we never went over 1500. I think you got taken. Napa near me isn’t more than 600 a day for upscale hotels either.
There are high-end airbnbs in Hawaii where you can very easily exceed 3k per day many times over.
They must be nice condos I’d guess for more than 2. For that money I’d prefer the Halekulani lol.
You are right on that one Shel! I would definitely take the Halekulani over any condo at that price.
We can all sip Mai Tais at “House Without a Key.” I might even buy a round for everyone.
Aloha to all.
You can’t put the genie back in the bottle. Tourists “we hate you, we only want you if you are rich enough, we want people from other lands not fellow US citizens… oh no now we love you and so want you here(your wallet). What about all of us respectful visitors who came here for decades who were made to feel “less than” because suddenly we were not “mindful”. Those who came to enjoy sun & beaches made to feel like they were trampling the island to death with their presence. Unfortunately during COVID &now the leaders telling everyone to stay away, they did not develop a plan for locals to earn a living once the tourist income left. Scary times ahead.
Trudy you are so right..This Josh green is killing anything good in Hawaii and does not realize that Hawaii has Hawaii has never been the land of opportunity for jobs…
Well, they better get with the government and do something to squash the possibility of banning STR’s. Hotels and restaurants are not everyone’s vibe. Personally, we like to have a fully stocked kitchen and buy fresh fish from local fisherman to cook at our STR. We usually go out for one breakfast, lunch and dinner, but after a day of hiking, swimming, and snorkeling we like to chill at our place and have a casual meal.
You can’t tell tourist’s not to come and then beg for them to come back after you double the prices. First lower prices on hotels or pay for x number of nights and get x number of nights free. Initiate diner discounts per hotel booking and or free guest parking. Nothing will change if you don’t lower the greed level. People just won’t choose Hawaii if they are felt ripped off or nickel and dimmed. Begging is not the answer or solution. Seriously IMO the only time this could happen is when businesses lay off employees and the island population decreases and the government goes into some desparation mode from lack of tourism.
Muffi and gov Green has made their kickback money From the hotel owners already now they’re calling for US visitors, these two both want to get rid of vacation rentals because they’re in the hotel owners back pocket, time for these two to resign, corruption is obvious
We have vacationed in Maui at least once and usually twice/year for over 25 years, totaling 4 weeks/years for about 25 years and usually loved it. Skipped COVID year then last year-the latter due to very bad press about Hawaii’s approach especially to other Americans. We return this fall for 2 weeks-not 4-as a trial but I am not looking forward to non access to beaches in the (best) early AM swimming times and $30 parking charges when we typically spend 2 hours on a beach daily (rip-off rates for tourists). 1st class air is double pre-covid, and great hotels (often spent the first 2 nights) went from $400/night to $1200. Really bad vibes from the state, insulting when we spend tons to stay, is disgusting, & may influence locals views.
Aloha. Try oahu or kauai. Maui is not the be all end all. It just became “hip” and everyone flocked there.
BOH, do you have a press conference link, or website, or news article that specifically shows this return to a gentler, kinder wooing of US visitors? If so, please share, and thanks!
Hi Pat.
Yes we’ll provide a link and all the details as soon as it is published.
Thanks again for over 500 comments!
Aloha.
ROFLMBO!!!! With all the taxes and fees that the Hawaii government and County mayors have levied on visitors, not to mention how they “bad mouthed” visitors during Covid. As someone that lived on Oahu and Kauai for 14 years, but moved back to the mainland 5 years ago due to high cost of living, I can’t begin to express how disappointed I was when I came back and visited last December. Hotel costs up over 200%, groceries and gasoline prices sky high, stores and businesses closed, poor service because no one wants to work, and buildings in disrepair, not to mention the racism directed towards visitors, why on earth would anyone from the mainland want to come visit Hawaii these days.
If HTA really wants more U.S. visitors, there is a simple fix. Reduce the price of accommodations, car rentals and activities. Remove any fees you have started to impose for things like parking. In other words, make it affordable. The cost of condos and VRBO rentals is insane. Owners must decide that being greedy does not pay off and reduce their prices. The whole thing is a big circus and your economy will suffer greatly if changes are not made quickly.
We just got back from 5 nights in Oahu. We went with a $200/night STR in the Gold Coast area instead of our typical hotel which now has risen to about $400/night. We thought we would use the kitchen but did not. Though we did munch on poke and other to go foods and bought booze from the local carry out. We had a couple expensive dinners. Mind blowing that Hau Tree charges $20 for a Pina Colada slushie.
Everyone we met were very nice to us so unsure where this idea of the lost Aloha spirit is coming from. From servers, to cops, to locals, everyone was very pleasant to us. We hope hotel rates will settle down a bit as we realized we prefer a nice clean, up to date room as opposed to a down at the mouth STR.
Lesson learned: choose your str wisely by doing better research upfront. There are plenty of really nice condos or homes for less than $400 a night with great amenities that don’t charge extra for parking, using the pool, or other previously provided services.
Hotels are great for taking your cash and offering some minor concierge services. But, if that’s your comfort zone, you’re what they’re counting on.
We prefer the Gold Coast area. If you know of a really nice STR in this area for less than $300 a night, please, do tell. The place we stayed in, Diamond Head Hotel/Condos wasn’t that bad. I believe each unit was individually owned so your mileage may vary.
The place we stayed in needed a little sprucing up, new rugs, blinds were sort of wonky – as I said, down at the mouth. Not a dump, mind you, but not like the quality of a hotel room.
I refuse to stay central Waikiki so, again, feel free to share if you really think there are good STRs in the Gold Coast/East Oahu area.
Why do you by innuendo categorize STRs as ‘Down in the mouth.’
For some reason thousands of visitors are very happy in an STR.
Perhaps I’m not loaded or as free with my money as you. I’ve always tried to stay in hotel rooms around $250 a night. Now these same rooms are $400 a night.
Decided to go with a STR in the Gold Coast area and it was $200 a night plus $30 a day parking. We insist on an ocean view and got it. We weren’t necessarily unhappy with the place. But, as with other STRs we’ve stayed in on the rare occasions the furniture, rugs, etc. was a little worn, cheesy artwork adorned the walls, and the sheets were def not hotel quality.
Mahalo! I’ve never felt any bad attitudes from kamainas..some think of us as them having gone for 50+ years. Glad hau tree is still there!!
After the tragedy in Maui, the message was we don’t need tourists’ and stay away. They soon found out that $700 doesn’t go very far.
Too little too late, you cannot decide what you want. Too expensive, many cheaper locations that offer the same. You want Main Land visitors to pay too many fees and then offer little in return. Poor service, over priced room rates and restaurants. You need to rethink what you want. I will not be back. I have loved every trip to Hawaii (15). But will not return. I feel many locals will be happy.
In Dec 2023, our vac was booked 13 month in advance. Cancelled 2 of 3 wks and wished we’d cancelled it all. Worst trip to Maui in the 20 years we’ve been going to the Island(s). Come visit/stay away, make up your mind. Luckily with our timeshare, we can go anywhere in the world. Time to see places that do not have inflated prices and are happy to see you. This Canadian will no longer be vacationing in the Hawaiian Islands, especially Maui. So sad to say goodbye, but you just aren’t ready to receive folks that have always loved to see you.
All of my trips over the years to Hawaii have been wonderful. The disdain of mainland tourists lately by those in charge has left a really bad taste in my mouth. Mainlanders have always spent a lot of money when visiting your beautiful state and supporting the Hawaiian economy. Wooing foreign visitors apparently hasn’t worked out very well. Hawaii needs mainland tourists and we need to feel welcomed again!
Well the incompetent governor, the mayors, and other one party politicians have now steered the Titanic (Hawaiian Tourism) right into the iceberg. This will be a very difficult few years of declining tourism numbers, and the terrible economic effect on the people of Hawaii will be long lasting and may never recover. All of this could and should have been avoided. So sad iindeed.
We did it to ourselves.
Save the marketing dollars, everyone knows where and what Hawaii has to offer by now. What does need to happen is a Government saying that Hotels cannot raise their room rates by X dollars or % a year. It’s absolutely outrageous now and have several friends that refuse to even consider Hawaii and taking their dollars to Mexico and beyond. Besides, Governor Green cussing at the podium and yelling at people invested in Hawaii, literally – STR owners don’t deserve his ire. If anything your own local laws and councils are the stop-gap between overbuilding, what’s acceptable for STRs and the tax implications they continue to tinker with. (I’ve heard at the cost of locals, too)
We are headed there this Summer, for the first time, it have been absolutely blown away with the cost of accommodations. Sadly, we have already realized that this is probably going to be our only visit to Hawaii, unless the costs structure changes dramatically in the future.
It is Not too late to welcome visitors from the continental US. However, since Hawaii is so dependent on tourism there never should be any comments about toooo many tourists. One does not want to kill the Golden Goose!! Raising prices and taxes to raise more income is fine as long as it doesn’t lower the number of tourist too much. However, a “don’t come” message is wrong.
Staycation for us? Forget it! With astronomical hotel and outrageous
taxes and fees, no way. Hey here’s a novel idea, remove all taxes and fees for kamaaina. Many locals would jump at this offer.
Just last week I was deciding whether to spend my upcoming vacation time in the state of Hawaii (Maui or Hawaii) or in Tahiti. Tahiti won and Hawaii lost, mostly because Tahiti is now cheaper, and the “pension” (guesthouse) system they have can make for some delightful and reasonably priced stays.
I have been vacationing annually in Hawaii since 2013, sometimes several times a year. My walls are adorned with my own photos of the some of the great places I have visited in Hawaii. But frankly, between the jacked up prices and anti-tourist attitudes, I may not visit this year.
I’ve been to both Tahiti and Hawaii, and you’re right hotels, gas, food, activities etc… are all significantly cheaper in French Polynesia. Scuba diving is literally half the price in Tahiti compared to the US.
I have checked several times to make a vacation to Hawaii, however the thing that always keeps me from making a commitment is the price!!!! Housing/hotel prices are insane, and airfare is up also. So many other options to explore with less expense. Would love to get there, but price is always the limiting factor these days with the crazy price of housing!
We returned to our condo in Maui as usual first week of December. Shouldering prices like two drinks each, something to nibble on your at $80 plus tip. Two BLTs and coffees plus tip your at $80. The usual stern looks from locals (mostly from those who don’t want to work) plenty of help wanted signs. Rude drivers abound, always tailgating, cutting you off, and don’t you dare do that as a tourist, and of course the dirty looks. After all this and a lot of discussions we put our unit of 19 years on the market. We closed first week of April. My wife cried on our last visit, the condo empty as it was when she painstakingly traveled the island looking for furniture. Its not all about the money.
Seems like the HTA should be disbanded and allow market forces to self-manage tourism….
As I mentioned before, my 1st visit to Hawaii was in December of 1989 when the hotel and restaurant employees were Hawaiian with flowers in their hair and the Aloha spirit was everywhere. We flew PanAm and they showed the Hawaiian culture on the big screen even before we arrived. The visitors we met didn’t have to be told to be mindful. They loved the islands and were repeat visitors. It was a time of pride and mutual respect. Mass tourism and timeshares killed this spirit because you are now dealing with peoples who feel entitled on both sides, locals and tourists.
It is about time that leadership in Hawaii, including the Governor, the Mayors, the Visitor’s Authority and others recognize the need to reengage mainland visitors. We have visited annually, often several times each year, since 1992. We weren’t always greeted warmly by locals. Then talk about overtourism became a theme, and we felt less welcome than we had before. After the Maui fires, which devastated so many including those of us who carry Maui in our hearts, we were told to leave the island, or not to come, followed by please come – we need your money. Many tourists have begun to travel elsewhere. Now you want us back. Make it affordable – flights and hotels – and make us feel welcome and you may see us again.
The islands and people were warned over the last few months. Now, get on your knees and beg, keeping in mind “once a thrown rock leaves your hand, it cannot be retrieved”! Now eat some crow and hopefully give some thoughts to your stupidity and hope some change their minds about returning. Not Me!!