Hawaii is set to revive its push for a visitor fee in 2025, tapping into a strong global movement that demands travelers contribute to protecting the destinations they explore.
Hawaii is set to revive its push for a visitor fee in 2025, tapping into a strong global movement that demands travelers contribute to protecting the destinations they explore.
As was said… “I fully support the green fee. As a local, I see the impact of over-tourism every day. Our beaches, trails, and parks are overcrowded and littered. The funds from this fee could go a long way in maintaining our natural resources and ensuring they are here for future generations.”
— Leilani”
But will the money be used for any of that?
As an example… there is a charge to go to Waimea Canyon State Park. Has any of the money been used for the Canyon infrastructure? By looking the bathrooms, you wouldn’t think so.
While he’s at it the Gov should instill a $25 annual fee for every resident in the state, call it the “Money to pick up abandon cars and appliances along our roadways fee”, I guarantee not one tourist has left that garbage all over the islands, Maui in particular, we’re too busy ruining all the beaches, trails etc etc. Where’s that great Aloha spirit now.
The “Golden Nene” continues to be sliced, diced, and pulehu’ed by the clueless politicos I see…
Best Regards
Noble cause! Not worth it due to all the other fees. TAT, Resort Fee, Resort Operational Fee, Employee Healthcare Fee, Parking Fee, Check-in Fee, Check-out Fee, Mandatory 18% Tip on Take out food orders, airport taxes, etc. The list just does not stop. Now, they want to add another fee. All combined, it has become too much. Going to keep moving on to further out places. Tahiti, Mexico & Belize sounds very reasonable & affordable to me. Let someone else pay all those fees & taxes, but I am taking my vacations elsewhere. Aloha!
What a stupid idea. Just another reason to vacation and spend my money elsewhere. They do things like this and wonder why their largest private employer, Hawaiian Airlines, is on the verge of bankruptcy
Just another way to reinforce the perception that Hawaii does not want us to come there, and that already has been every time I come there. I’m from Nevada so I know a little about this type of subject. If it was up to me, I would pay a reward to every person that visits Nevada! Like it was mentioned the fees there are already high and the people who push this and that stupid reduction in the rental base will eventually keep most people away and then Hawaii can go back to the way it was a 100 years ago. If I was you I would also withdraw from the union, maybe even prohibit any airline traffic. You already get the fees you charge the tourists, plus fees for airlines landing there, car rental, the economy that the rentals and or stays in hotels. Ever hear the term, “killing the goose that laid the golden egg” ? Your on the right trackI have rentals here, a vacation rental in California, was the assistant GM at a hotel and casino, I know a little about this crap. Go ahead. charge more!
Should be paid by the counties from their ridiculous 3% County TAT fees. Because of their outlandish real-estate taxes, they have lots of money coming in. They wouldn’t even notice it. From other posts, it looks like it’s unconstitutional (USA) for Green and his accomplices to charge US citizens a fee to just enter the state.
This whole irresponsible mindset isn’t going to go away until the HI voters get sick of it. These people have screwed up over and over. Covid lockdown, lining their pockets with giant hotel $, appointing cronies to lead this latest ecological tourism fiasco and finally destroying Lahaina and killing a lot of innocent people.
After visiting the islands regularly for the past 40 years we are really close to pulling the plug on ever coming back. I feel the visitors are being treated like they are an invasive species.
We feel the same way when we visit Maui. But we still go for sure. No breaking us from visiting the most beautifull place on earth. Cheers!!
We are the invasive people, I have never felt really welcome there, except by people who have moved there and are part of the tourist business or people who own vacation properties. I love the people, whoever they are and wherever they come from, who visit my vacation rental at Lake Almanor in California. For the most part I never get that feeling when U vacation in Hawaii, too bad as I love Maui. They are and will kill the Golden Goose, US, by their short sightedness and poor attitude, and who will they hurt? The local people who depend on Tourism, Too Bad.
How do you say we don’t want tourists without saying it?
Our business has already suffered a significant downturn in visitors simply due to the overcharging for everything and negative publicity Hawaii has received over the past few years. This August was our worst month ever and it can be attributed directly to the lack of people visiting the island.
Where does it end, how high will unemployment have to go before the government realizes you cannot kill the golden goose and then expect it to keep employing people?
What if I am not doing the tourist thing, but flying home to see my ohana and grand babies? Am I going to be taxed for that?
Flying over on Business, which, is to help generate Sales Tax Revenue for the State, it’s business, not pleasure! Green, brought up Green, and he was told, he cannot Tax Citizens of States to travel Inter-State, it’s against the Law, so the lightbulb went Green. Governor Ige, took the other Counties Hotel Tax Revenue and placed in the States General Fund, so what happens there? Despite what has to be corruption, things ran pretty smoothly from 1957-1999.
Hawaii cannot impose an “entry fee” on US citizens/legal residents residing in other states. If it makes you feel any better, Wyoming cannot charge out of state residents a fee, either. And Yellowstone is on pace for the most tourists (several million) this year. New Zealand is a different country. They can charge visitors whatever they like. Many countries do this. The USA could do this (but not Hawaii, sorry). Some charge an “exit fee”, which is precious.
Aloha-
Mahalo for keeping us informed, as always, with the carious fees that are proposed, cancelled, reconfigured, etc.
As a past frequent visitor, who has stayed away since 2023, I have a few questions:
Will this be per visit? Per island? Per person? Per family? Per day? Will people traveling to visit local family members that live on island be exempt? Will we be given a sticker to wear reminding people we have paid the ‘green fee’ so we will be appreciated instead of derided?
Looking forward to one day being able to enjoy time with my family in Hawaii again.
Is it $25 per trip? $25 per day? If it’s per trip and the hotel is collecting it, what happens when I change hotels / islands? Do I have to pay another $25 fee because the new hotel will have no idea I already paid?
Typical government idea that is ridiculous and impossible to enforce or puts the onus on the private sector to do the government’s job for them. Just drive up to Waimea Canyon and look at all the people who don’t pay the parking fee….
Well, realistically, folks coming from out of state would be charged the fee, unless they could prove residency in HI (driver’s license, state ID card, etc.). Family visits would still have to pay, but inter-island flights would not be charged. It would be like a environmental impact fee, and go into (probably) a separate fund (vice: the General Fund), from which it could be, via legislation or Governer’s decree, transferred to the General Fund for ‘necessary expenses.’ Simple. Corruption rules!
Municipalities on the mainland routinely ask residents to add a penny to sales taxes to fund extra projects. These projects are identified with signs. The same could be done here. But there has to be some observable improvement. This fee smells like just another tax and spend scam. The problem is that Hawaii politicians have proven over and over again that they can’t be trusted. I suspect this mistrust will continue until there is closer to a 50:50 liberal:conservative ratio at both the state and county levels.
I understand to control invasive species plants but what is exactly biodiversity? Bio means profile of someone and diversity means variety of ethnic etc. So basically this means to charge a fee to research all the tourists and their profiles and how they get along etc.
IMO What a bunch of ********. Anymore lame justifications to just victimize the tourists. I get it charge the tourist’s a fee to pay for the real tourist’s Hawaii really wants?
Think of it as a sort of “resort fee.” You know, the thing you get charged for at hotels for things they didn’t charge for before, or you didn’t use or need.
Just like the Aloha Spirit. Pay a fee for something and get nothing back in return. Sounds like legal stealing to me. If you are a legal US resident you can’t charge to enter another US state.
How dare they even think about this when locals are struggling with the cost of living? They’re using tourists as a scapegoat instead of fixing the real issues.
This is stupid! Hawaii’s tourism industry is already suffering, and now they want to slap tourists with another fee? Visitors will just go elsewhere, and it’s the locals who will feel the economic blow.
Hawaii depends on tourism, and this will only hurt the economy. People are complaining that Hawaii is too expensive—this will just add fuel to the fire.
Fees are ok if they actually contribute to taking care of our fragile environment.
However, our elected officials are not great stewards of our money and there is too much waste and inefficiency as it is.
Just giving more money doesn’t solve things unless it is appropriately used. Money is a tool for the government to effect improvements and change. It should not be for personal enrichment.
Just wondering what my transient fee that I am already paying is supporting? I pay this when I stay at Aulan’i my time share and an additional tax and fees when I stay at a hotel in Waikiki. If I stay with my Ohana in Makakilo. Do I have to pay a fee???
It most likely will not affect me. I am so over the high prices [food, hotels and car rentals]; congestion; being fee’ed to death, etc. I am going to Tahiti or the Caribbean. Nothing in Hawaii that is so worth it anymore.
They have priced the little guy out and time to move on.
I have started visiting Hawaii less as well. Tried the Caribbean last winter and probably going to check out Tahiti on my next island trip. You’re spot on with changing things up.