43 thoughts on “Hawaii Travel Future Uncertain: Continuing Declines + Other Concerns”
Cheryl T
Hawaii can’t decide whether they want tourists or not. We’ve been going to Maui with another couple for the last fours years, returning in April. This will probably be our last trip since there are other places that will appreciate our business. We love Maui but they want to gauge you for every little thing now. Caribbean here we come.
It’s been 12 years since my last trip to Maui. I would love to go back but the hotel/rental rates + extra fees are ridiculous. Price gouging is the real cause of the drastic decline in visitors. A one week stay isn’t worth 3 months of mortgage payments.
Try a short-term rental, in a resort area like Wailea, so that you don’t take housing away from locals and the displaced. One-third the price of hotel for double the space, especially right now and for the foreseeable future. You can actually go to Maui pretty reasonably if you know where to look. I know because I’m here.
Oahu infrastructure is dying. Hotel 400 plus insane taxes dinner 250 lunch 186 breakfast 2 smoothies 32.00. Collapse of Waikiki beach because they won’t back fill sand. Flights: 800 r/t car 946 for 10 days, hotel parking 500 for 10 days. Unfortunately, I have family on islands. Hawaii is going to get the California treatment. People are going to stop coming here anymore. Crime on Waikiki is bad too. I can go elsewhere and get an equivalent experience. The locals appreciate the visitors who inject money into the economy. Years and years of horrific mismanagement and corruption on State and local levels will finish off the Hawaiian economy.
I totally get the farmers markets are mostly frequented by residents, in some areas, maybe not Princeville! I don’t go to the market to pay less. We found prices are the same for the same item as in stores. I go to get better quality vegetables and fruit. It isn’t any one thing alone. It’s the accumulation of price, airfare, reservations, car rental, and convenience to get here from the east coast. We have to ask ourselves if the benefit is worth the trouble? For us, our conversation now is what do other places have to offer that we would never have considered in the past, because Kauai was our place to relax and surround ourselves in the beauty the island offers. Sadly, for the first time we have no time or plans to return.
We are in Kauai now. We’ve been coming here since 2004. We have not seen traffic like we are use to seeing. At Waimea Lookout parking was $10 plus it’s $5 a person. On a Sunday we got a parking spot right away. At the farmers market we paid $3 for a bunch of radishes, $5 for a bell pepper, $3 for a cucumber. At JoJo’s in Hanalei it’s $7.50 for a shave ice. We walked right in and sat down at our favorite fist stop Hamuras Saimin where a regular Special Bowl is now $10.50, a scoop of Lapperts is $7.50. Hawaii will get what it’s hoping for, less visitors. They should be careful what they wish for. After this we’re taking a break from Hawaii. We feel gouged. So many long time favorites have closed too. Very sad!
You may not realize that the farmers markets are largely frequented by residents. Check the prices at supermarkets if you think that $3 is too much for locally grown produce. It’s actually reasonable. And the farmers aren’t exactly getting rich at those prices. Keep in mind that all of their expenses are very high.
On Memorial Day we visited Akaka Falls and were surprised at the $10 parking fee plus $5 a person. My husband is a Veteran and we got free parking and free access saving us $35 to visit a waterfall we enjoy but we’ve already gone to several times over the years. If we had to pay $35 I’m not sure we would have stayed to view the waterfall.
We also felt price gouged and skipped a couple local interests we would have liked to visit but felt the price was too much. $3 for a cucumber and $5 for a bell pepper? The fact that everything is so expensive will stop some people from visiting–or at least. not visiting as long or as often.
I love visiting Kauai. However, I keep reading articles about limiting visitors to beaches such as Tunnels and having ti make reservations months ahead. Also, so many articles about how the locals don’t want us there. There was one article with a huge list of places the locals don’t want us to go, and it was practically every bite able beach and landmark. I do not feel welcome.
All of this is good for our islands.. but sucks for us that have been displaced and living away from our home. There is no discounts for born and raised Hawaiians to go home and visit.
I agree….I had to leave my home because I could not afford to live there any longer. Does that mean former kama’aina are not welcome either? Where’s the aloha?
I booked our accommodations on the BI for next year three months ago. We will be staying for 10 weeks. Anyway, used the same management company but split our stay between two units, based upon availability. One of the units is currently for sale and under contract. Concerned that the new owner might not be willing to honor our reservation, I cancelled our reservation and extended our stay on the other unit for the entire 10 weeks. I was then offered a 10% discount–I am interpreting this as a “softening” of rates. The management company also refunded my deposit on the 1st unit in full.
I honestly think a lot of the issue is the state cracking down on Airbnb’s and VRBO units. They made it more affordable for the regular family. Who can afford $300 plus per night is a hotel, eating out constantly and the other expenses associated. Atleast the state should start re issuing TVU’s to owners that want to do short term rentals.
Pat G: Interesting. We would always rent a place on Maui at a low rise oceanfront development. We have been going there since 1995. A three br OF depending on the unit usually ran $400 – $500 a day – once Covid hit the price has skyrocketed to as much as $1000 – $1500/day. Better than a hotel if you figure 3 br, but honestly that is a huge increase and not affordable.
I agree – I know I could never afford that. It is still half the price of 3 rooms in the hotels around there, though, plus you get a full kitchen, large lanai, etc.
About your oceanfront condo….If you go one block away from the water on Maui, you can get beautiful, large 2-bedroom condos with ocean views for $350 to $600 depending on the season. That’s a no brainer, IMO.
PAT G Agreed, but I come to see the Ocean. I live in San Diego and can drive to it, but when I’m on Maui I want to see, hear and smell it every minute.
Hawaii can’t decide whether they want tourists or not. We’ve been going to Maui with another couple for the last fours years, returning in April. This will probably be our last trip since there are other places that will appreciate our business. We love Maui but they want to gauge you for every little thing now. Caribbean here we come.
It’s been 12 years since my last trip to Maui. I would love to go back but the hotel/rental rates + extra fees are ridiculous. Price gouging is the real cause of the drastic decline in visitors. A one week stay isn’t worth 3 months of mortgage payments.
Try a short-term rental, in a resort area like Wailea, so that you don’t take housing away from locals and the displaced. One-third the price of hotel for double the space, especially right now and for the foreseeable future. You can actually go to Maui pretty reasonably if you know where to look. I know because I’m here.
Oahu infrastructure is dying. Hotel 400 plus insane taxes dinner 250 lunch 186 breakfast 2 smoothies 32.00. Collapse of Waikiki beach because they won’t back fill sand. Flights: 800 r/t car 946 for 10 days, hotel parking 500 for 10 days. Unfortunately, I have family on islands. Hawaii is going to get the California treatment. People are going to stop coming here anymore. Crime on Waikiki is bad too. I can go elsewhere and get an equivalent experience. The locals appreciate the visitors who inject money into the economy. Years and years of horrific mismanagement and corruption on State and local levels will finish off the Hawaiian economy.
I totally get the farmers markets are mostly frequented by residents, in some areas, maybe not Princeville! I don’t go to the market to pay less. We found prices are the same for the same item as in stores. I go to get better quality vegetables and fruit. It isn’t any one thing alone. It’s the accumulation of price, airfare, reservations, car rental, and convenience to get here from the east coast. We have to ask ourselves if the benefit is worth the trouble? For us, our conversation now is what do other places have to offer that we would never have considered in the past, because Kauai was our place to relax and surround ourselves in the beauty the island offers. Sadly, for the first time we have no time or plans to return.
We are in Kauai now. We’ve been coming here since 2004. We have not seen traffic like we are use to seeing. At Waimea Lookout parking was $10 plus it’s $5 a person. On a Sunday we got a parking spot right away. At the farmers market we paid $3 for a bunch of radishes, $5 for a bell pepper, $3 for a cucumber. At JoJo’s in Hanalei it’s $7.50 for a shave ice. We walked right in and sat down at our favorite fist stop Hamuras Saimin where a regular Special Bowl is now $10.50, a scoop of Lapperts is $7.50. Hawaii will get what it’s hoping for, less visitors. They should be careful what they wish for. After this we’re taking a break from Hawaii. We feel gouged. So many long time favorites have closed too. Very sad!
Hi Andie.
You may not realize that the farmers markets are largely frequented by residents. Check the prices at supermarkets if you think that $3 is too much for locally grown produce. It’s actually reasonable. And the farmers aren’t exactly getting rich at those prices. Keep in mind that all of their expenses are very high.
Aloha.
On Memorial Day we visited Akaka Falls and were surprised at the $10 parking fee plus $5 a person. My husband is a Veteran and we got free parking and free access saving us $35 to visit a waterfall we enjoy but we’ve already gone to several times over the years. If we had to pay $35 I’m not sure we would have stayed to view the waterfall.
We also felt price gouged and skipped a couple local interests we would have liked to visit but felt the price was too much. $3 for a cucumber and $5 for a bell pepper? The fact that everything is so expensive will stop some people from visiting–or at least. not visiting as long or as often.
I love visiting Kauai. However, I keep reading articles about limiting visitors to beaches such as Tunnels and having ti make reservations months ahead. Also, so many articles about how the locals don’t want us there. There was one article with a huge list of places the locals don’t want us to go, and it was practically every bite able beach and landmark. I do not feel welcome.
All of this is good for our islands.. but sucks for us that have been displaced and living away from our home. There is no discounts for born and raised Hawaiians to go home and visit.
I agree….I had to leave my home because I could not afford to live there any longer. Does that mean former kama’aina are not welcome either? Where’s the aloha?
I booked our accommodations on the BI for next year three months ago. We will be staying for 10 weeks. Anyway, used the same management company but split our stay between two units, based upon availability. One of the units is currently for sale and under contract. Concerned that the new owner might not be willing to honor our reservation, I cancelled our reservation and extended our stay on the other unit for the entire 10 weeks. I was then offered a 10% discount–I am interpreting this as a “softening” of rates. The management company also refunded my deposit on the 1st unit in full.
I honestly think a lot of the issue is the state cracking down on Airbnb’s and VRBO units. They made it more affordable for the regular family. Who can afford $300 plus per night is a hotel, eating out constantly and the other expenses associated. Atleast the state should start re issuing TVU’s to owners that want to do short term rentals.
Pat G: Interesting. We would always rent a place on Maui at a low rise oceanfront development. We have been going there since 1995. A three br OF depending on the unit usually ran $400 – $500 a day – once Covid hit the price has skyrocketed to as much as $1000 – $1500/day. Better than a hotel if you figure 3 br, but honestly that is a huge increase and not affordable.
I agree – I know I could never afford that. It is still half the price of 3 rooms in the hotels around there, though, plus you get a full kitchen, large lanai, etc.
About your oceanfront condo….If you go one block away from the water on Maui, you can get beautiful, large 2-bedroom condos with ocean views for $350 to $600 depending on the season. That’s a no brainer, IMO.
PAT G Agreed, but I come to see the Ocean. I live in San Diego and can drive to it, but when I’m on Maui I want to see, hear and smell it every minute.
How about these:
airbnb.com/rooms/23482500?source_impression_id=p3_1687544654_fWwUKPA%2FdB4SHOAq