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.