Something has been different in the way people talk to us at BOH about Hawaii this year, and it’s not showing up in the expected places. It’s not about any big surge in visitor complaints or a sudden collapse in interest in the islands. It’s the way conversations stop sooner than they used to. Several readers mentioned that this was the first Christmas in years they hadn’t given or received a trip to Hawaii, and that absence itself felt strange.
Questions that once led straight into booking dates, islands of choice, and resort names now suddenly trail off. People continue to ask about coming back in 2026, then hesitate, as if they’re waiting for something else to reveal itself before committing.
When Hawaii travel stopped being automatic.
For a long time, Hawaii travel decisions were something taken for granted for a very large group of repeat visitors. Even when prices kept climbing, or flights got even more miserable, the assumption held that loyalists would find a way to make Hawaii work. Coming here wasn’t something that they debated so much as something they found ways to adjust around. That automatic reflex, however, has weakened, and this year is when it just became impossible to ignore.
How 2025 changed the Hawaii vacation conversation.
The situation didn’t come from any single policy change, a vacation rental fight, or a particular headline moment. Instead, it built slowly, in pieces that layered across the year. Early on, Maui visitors began telling us they were stepping away, sometimes quite reluctantly. Just the sheer resonance of some 700 comments and nearly a million views was impossible to ignore. It felt very meaningful.
As the year went on, the conversation broadened beyond Maui. Visitors still talked about loving the islands themselves, but they increasingly separated that from how they felt about the experience of getting here and being here.
Visitor loyalty and patience eroded.
Along the path, the small things added up to become insurmountable for some. More rules to navigate, more fees layered on top of already too high costs, with more changes coming, plus added uncertainty, many expressed about what it would actually feel like they people arrived.
Even airline loyalty, once another stabilizing force for Hawaii travel, began to feel less reliable. When long-standing programs changed, or airline loyalty just stopped being worth it, it didn’t just complicate bookings. Instead, it removed one more reason people used to see Hawaii as their default plan without even thinking twice.
What your comments say.
You can see the shift most clearly in the way BOH readers talk to each other in comments. What stands out now isn’t the angriest ones. They’re the ones that sound almost apologetic. Reader Ernie D. wrote that 2025 marked their 20th Hawaii trip, and they still loved Hawaii deeply, but they didn’t feel the usual urgency to plan their next visit while they were still unpacking from the last one. That resonated with us, as did others.
Another said they had always booked automatically for the coming year, but this time they didn’t. They weren’t angry, but somewhat undecided. Another commenter said they were waiting to see how things shook out before committing again, something they claimed to have never said about Hawaii before.
The visitor pause that’s now synonymous with Hawaii travel.
What’s standing out about those comments is how often love for Hawaii and hesitation sit side by side with each other. People aren’t rejecting Hawaii outright. Instead they are pausing. They’re weighing whether the costs, efforts, and various travel frictions still line up with what they want travel to be like. This is clearly something new, and it matters to both visitors and to Hawaii.
For the first time in years, many Hawaii travelers simply aren’t sure what they plan to do next.
Hesitation doesn’t yet appear in the numbers.
That uncertainty doesn’t show up neatly in any DBEDT data or visitor counts. People are still coming. We are in Waikiki as we write, and they are here. Planes are coming in, and hotels are largely still filled for the holidays. But visitor behavior has also changed in demonstrable ways.
Stays are getting shorter. Expensive upgrades and activities are being skipped. Hawaii trips that once would have already been booked for 2026 are left open-ended as the year draws to a close, either to become last minute or not at all. Decisions that used to be automatic now require far more deliberation. That point is clear.
What makes visitor uncertainty impossible to ignore.
The holidays are when this new hesitation becomes more visible. People are at home, surrounded by year-end/holiday conversations about travel, time, expectations, and money. They’re thinking not only about gifts but about what they want the next year to look like. For many people, Hawaii used to answer that very question almost by default. This year, it doesn’t do that quite as easily.
This moment feels different from past downturns.
What’s different now compared with past Hawaii travel disruptions is that it doesn’t feel quite so temporary to many, including BOH readers. During COVID, people were waiting. During other price spikes, visitors simply adjusted. But in 2025, the uncertainty feels less clearly defined than that. Visitors aren’t sure what would even need to change for their current feelings to subside, and that makes it harder for everyone to plan.
The questions Hawaii travelers are asking now.
We hear this in the way people frame their questions. It isn’t “when should we go?” but rather “do you think it’s still worth it?” It’s not “which island?” but “has Hawaii gotten any easier to navigate?” Those aren’t simply logistical questions. They are questions about earned trust and expectation, and these just don’t have any easy answers.
Where things stand heading into 2026.
This is absolutely not to imply that Hawaii travel is doomed or that visitors are done with the islands. It does signify that something that once felt automatic simply no longer does. For a destination whose very foundation was built on a firm bedrock of repeat visitation and emotional loyalty, that gets our attention. Heading into 2026, that reflective pausing itself may have just become the most important signal, because it reflects a relationship in which autopilot has now been turned off.
Right now, a lot of travelers are still deciding how they feel, and they haven’t made up their minds yet. Where do you stand in that pause?
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Unfortunately our leadership is very shortsighted & it’s not just tourism. The push for “less, with more” is just pushing bigger dollars to Hotels & cannibalizing the smaller businesses & mom/pops with the support services that follow. Maui has shot itself in the foot with Bill 9 as well. If my friends/family weren’t staying with me, they literally said they wouldn’t come to Hawai’i at this point. They’re simply priced out, even though they are all good stewards of the nuances of Hawai’i. (How to act, respect, pono, etc) Which I think is being overlooked as well. Instead, Fiji/Tahiti/USVI are on the radar, because the flight costs are the majority, but STR/AirBnB/eating out are so much cheaper it just makes more sense to go there. Also lost, they noticed – is the sense & pride of Aloha. I feel there’s a lot of mainland “creep” here that we’re all trying to avoid. Sad state of affairs & our leadership needs to separate “keep it Hawai’i” with “common sense prevails all
Hawaii used to be a singularly exotic experience filled with wonder, captivating beauty, and a unique, wholesome lifestyle. Some of that is still true, however, the world has gotten smaller through expanded air travel, the Internet, and international television. We are exposed to many more travel opportunities than we used to have, and the exotic experience that was almost exclusively Hawaiian is now found in many other parts of the world, usually at a lesser cost. Hawaii is and will continue to be a wonderful place to visit, but the Hawaiian administration must come to realize that they are no longer the only game in town and are now in competition on a global scale with other destinations.
Washington state is going tax crazy right now, don’t know what the future holds. We enjoy our Westin timeshares in Maui every year. Always look forward to it. So many great times and memories
With all the new fees, taxes, regulations,(including the loss of spontaneity in visiting some sites and beaches by non-residents), and the reduction of STRs, the “Spirit of Aloha” has slipped away. Have I? Probably.
As BB sings ‘the thrill is gone’ as the Gov said ‘don’t come’ as owners
say “pay me more” charge
to walk beaches and hills?
My reason here is selling going to welcoming ancient European beaches, me too.
We have two trips planned for Maui in 2026. Prices have gone up, but prices are up everywhere. We have not felt unwelcome and have not experienced any hostility, but we also don’t do all the tourist things. A few meals out, enjoying the beach, golf and sunset sails pretty much make up our trips. We buy local for food and souvenirs and cook a few meals in our timeshare. We recently bought an additional week at Westin Nanea because Maui is our favorite place to relax. We will see what the future holds but for the time being, we will continue to go 2-3 times a year.
As I write this we are on our last day in Maui after an eight day trip. We are already planning a trip next year during the Holidays. During the trip I can honestly say I have not experienced any anti tourist sentiments. I went paddling at Cove Park, Kam 1, and in front of Mana Kai resort on my very orange inflatable paddle board. We did a lovely sunset dinner/whale watch cruise with Pacific Whale Foundation out of Maalaea Harbor, did the Dog on Demand program from Maui Humane Society where we take a dog out of the shelter for about 5 hours to give them a break from the shelter and increase their chances of getting adopted. South Maui Gardens, Tiffany’s in Wailuku, South Shore Tiki Lounge, Zippy’s were all great outings. The one slight negative I noted was drivers have become more aggressive but I tried to be more calm in return.
Has anyone noticed how much golf green fees have increased in the last few years? Maui has gotten to the point I may just leave my clubs at home!
Not to be mean but I subscribe to Mark Twains view of golf: a good walk, spoiled. Get a paddle board for the week and enjoy. You could see honu, dolphin, seals, critters you never see on a golf course
We are excited about our 2026 two week vacation on Maui. Some of the “pre-fire” attractions have returned. Lahaina Shores Beach Resort on Front Street has been restored and is now taking guest reservations again. It is an oceanfront property with fabulous views of sunsets, etc. We will be staying there for a week in April and we can hardly wait, having enjoyed the property many times over the years.
Also, Sale Pape, one of Maui’s most popular Italian restaurants is back at their new locations in West Maui, including a new venue at Whaler’s Village shopping center.
The Old Lahaina Luau is going strong again, plus several other of our favorite attractions.
Maui is making a major comeback and we want to be part of it!
it feels to us that Maui does not want us back . people on a budget that could come now cannot with affordable short term going away.
I don’t doubt what you’re saying, but there are quite possibly many other factors as well.
People are more adventurous about traveling to other places. Places from Europe to New Zealand are being overrun by tourists.
Plus we’re on a shaky economy. The majority of people are struggling financially or with health issues.
I just don’t think it’s so simple. Every person that finds out I live in Hawaii (half time) still expresses awe and love/desire for the place. And I’m not convinced tourists know or care much about the screwed up state politics.
Sadly, this article definitely encapsulates our feelings. This year we opted to go elsewhere for our Christmas trip and while Hawaii is missed (it would have been our 5th year in a row), we decided both from a price and convenience level, we’d yield to a cruise not hitting the islands. More affordable, less strenuous and stressful and more enjoyable. We may return…we may not. But it’s no longer a given.
I do intend to go to Hawaii again next year, but haven’t made any firm plans yet, only very rough ones. My own financial situation may change and the policy makers in both Washington and Honolulu aren’t helping make these plans any easier.
We’d been on a cycle of visiting Maui every second year for an extended stay. Normally we’d have mapped out a 2026 trip by now but our last trip was just a bit off… a sense that we weren’t as welcome as before. Taking our usual condo rentals off the STR list – even though it won’t happen for a year? two years? ever? – was a clear sign that we’re not wanted. No way we’d stay in an (overpriced) hotel for over a month!
We’ve booked a European trip for spring and Might get to Hawaii in the fall. We’re a perfect example of long time visitors hesitating rather than committing.
Sounds like us. When prices went up, we adjusted frequency, time of year and class of seats to continue. I fully understand Hawaiians feeling overwhelmed and overrun in their own home. Not saying done or never, but frequency and duration probably slip more.