It isn’t just about the money. Hawaii visitor fees reexamined and input needed.
189 thoughts on “Hawaii Visitor Fees: Perception, Value And An Egregious Example”
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It isn’t just about the money. Hawaii visitor fees reexamined and input needed.
Comments are closed.
I want to say I’ve been coming to beautiful Hawaii for 20+ years. Sadly I probably won’t be returning. I’m looking at other tropical destinations that welcome their visitors. I feel and have read where the locals no longer want us there. With the rising cost in Hawaii and going to a place where your not wanted just doesn’t make since. I’ve loved Hawaii and the people of Hawaii but if they do not want me there I will comply. Thank you for all the wonderful years.
I cant see how this is constutional under the equal protection clause. These are govt services after all.
At Waimea Canyon and Kokee State parks on Kauai they should build an entrance station like the one at Volcanoes National Park. Then offer daily entrance fees or weekly passes. The kiosks currently in use are poorly explained, ridiculously overpriced and to easily sidestepped since there are so few people that check. With the entrance station nobody can skip the fees bringing the overall price down to a reasonable figure. I stayed at the Kokee Cabins and had to pay the fee each of the five nights I was there. Not very fair. I’ll surely skip the kiosk next time like so many others. Very poorly thought out set-up. I also have no problem with residents paying a much lower fee or none at all.
Just to be clear, you are asking for a state park charge structure / system similar to that of the National Park System?
Yes. Just looked up the fees around installing a credit card kiosk. Pretty staggering! (about $20,000 for instillation and maintenance) This park has four so building a one time entrance station would be no problem.
Thanks BOH Guys;
Here are the issues as I see them.
1) Money connected from fees end up in in a big pot that is used to fund state government, the money is not directly used to improve the venue for which it was assessed. So any money for a given site improvement is subject to political budget negotiation. Since the tourists have no political clout there views really don’t count for much.
2) Where does it stop? One year it’s $3.00 the next year, $7.50, then $12.50. Even if locals pay half what visitors pay, they are still having their taxes raised. It is just simply too easy for politicians to raise taxes that way. If you give them an inch they are guaranteed to take a mile.
Facilities at the canyon top overlooking the ocean were very nasty dirty and unkept.No running water. Awful smelling. Just used the outside for relief. Do better please.
Count me gone! How does and how can anyone associated with Tourism and enticing visitors from out of state to visit your state, look tourists in the eye and say Welcome? Surely these people are not serious!
Maybe you could educate yourself on the modernt of Hawaiian people and development/tourism.
We are already charged high rates on places to stay (with now a smaller area to choose from on Oahu for STR- which the avg working person need),+ high taxes and resort fees which don’t cover anything really, +parking if you feel like spending more money. On top of the high & still climbing airfares & all the taxes and fees that come along with that. Now, to pay more and more at various places of interests, without any knowledge of where the money is really going (ie:are all workers getting living wages at the companies collecting all of these fees? Are they really helping to take care of the area?) Nevermind, the costs of food and gas, you get the feeling that HI does not want reg visitors who actually love there-only rich people
As a tourist and customer in any
State I visit, HI included, I have the choice to enter or participate when seeing these fees. Some are expected and reasonable while others are blatantly gouging the tourist. I’ll choose to forgo and take my business elsewhere. A fair price will only increase business numbers while overpricing will turn away business. A smart approach would always be to price fairly as it will always bring more revenue in the long run. Tourism is the bread and butter of many HI businesses so don’t push business away. If too many people are visiting and therefore damaging resources, limit the number in a different way.
If a charge for the Pali Outlook is a must, a $5.00 fee seems much more reasonable. As a former Hawaii resident, what will happen if the tourists stop coming? It’s expensive enough being in the middle of the Pacific, the Jones Act costs, and the tax structure. Be reasonable and fair.
Thank you for the alert does anyone know when this fee will be put in place. Am coming from the east coast in August I may not be able to afford the island after my air ticket and hotel. Thank you
Hi Yvonne.
Fees at many state (and federal) parks in Hawaii are already in effect.
Aloha.
My first question would be: do the fees create any enforcement or otherwise do anything to keep the homeless and other criminals living in the bushes at the “Lookout” from breaking into the cars? Doubtful…just another money grab so that HI can misuse more funds.
Fees for no residents ie. tourists are a necessary evil, if u will.
The wear and tear of a state that relies on tourism for revenue must be covered by cold hard cash.
Standby Hawaii! Faced with fuel shortages, increased fuel costs throughout the country and especially Hawaii, pilot shortages and the beginning of a recession which is causing food and other commodity shortages and increased prices Hawaii should be doing everything possible to reduce the burden on the volatile tourist industry….Hawaii’s primary source of income. Anyone who thinks further raising prices to shift the financial burden to tourists is setting the stage for further devastation to the Hawaiian economy. Tourists are already being overburden by rising prices and dwindling available commodities at home. Responsibility, accountability and Administration ethics with regard to spending and strategic re-investing are lacking.
You made one wrong statement or assumption:”the volatile tourist industry….Hawaii’s primary source of income.”
Tourism dollars, while significant, account for ~25% of annual GDP.
Tourism is their no. 1 industry in Hawaii. I think by definition it makes it primary.
Because the remaining 75% is spread out across various sectors. Not saying that tourism isn’t important to the economy. The naysayers posting a never return threat will simply be replaced by a fresh crop. Hawaii is perhaps the most beautiful archipelago in the world,and the 360,000,000 citizens don’t need a passport.
Wow, when I go back home for visits I may have to pay fees to access places that were free while growing up in the islands, Hanauma Bay, Diamond Head, Pali Lookout. Where’s the aloha?
These fees are a bunch of ku kai pipi kane, if you ask me.
Unless these visitor locations are legislated as state parks or federal parks, you cannot implement access fees. That’s what our taxes are for… to subsidize the care and maintenance of these wonderful locations.
So, since I live in CA, and am no longer a resident, I cannot go to the lookout without paying an access fee? Heck, I used to hang out there with my friends when I lived in Kailua in the late 1960s-1970 in junior high and high school… go Surfriders!, and my great-grandfather helped design and build the original Pali Hiway, well…. You’ll lose a lot of visitors who are actually kamaaina.
The fees are completely understandable. Hawai’i’s relatively low tax rate I believe does not generate enough funds to sustain it’s public works and tourism venue’s. The cost of living on the islands also makes raising taxes on it’s citizens an unfair burden. An idea! Find some means to display a low impact but up to date display where fee’s are charged so all visitors understand the impact and value of their fee’s. Next year will be my 21st visit to Hawai’i and I long to have your natural resources protected and the places that we are allowed to visit be maintained, kept clean and remain as natural as possible.
Perhaps the state of Hawaii shouldn’t dole out welfare dollars so easily. Last I checked, you could move to Hawaii and after a year there go on welfare and other state-sponsored entitlement programs to the tune of $65k. And that data is 10 years old.
Depending on which state you reside, the large, urban-dominated states (CA, NY, NJ) contribute far more in federal taxes than states who don’t tax their residents enough to pay their own freight. So, if you live in one of the southern states, for example, you are on the dole — taking federal tax dollars to support the same social welfare dollars you decry.
“…contribute far more in federal taxes than states who don’t tax their residents enough to pay their own freight.”
First, federal taxes are uniform across the nation, based on income. Some states do not have higher rates of federal income tax than other states.
And, if you are talking about low state income tax states, that would help the feds because state income taxes are deductible when computing fed tax. So, lower state tax = higher federal income tax.
Actually, if you will check on the actual dollars (of course federal tax rates are uniform!) contributed by largely rural and poor states, you will note that federal support dollars far outweigh the individual tax dollars received. And, yes, states such as:
Alaska
Florida
Nevada
South Dakota
Texas
Washington
Wyoming
with no state income tax collect zero dollars to support their residents’ needs, thus relying on the wealthier states to support their deficit payments to the federal budget.
Say what you will, but that is simply one example of why these residents actually live in a socialist republic.
And thanks to the previous administration, now state tax and deduction off federal taxes is limited to 10K/year.
Have you been to Tennessee, or Georgia, or Florida? You don’t know what you are talking about.
Thanks for your continued, interesting posts. Here’s my POV. Charge for points of interest. Charge for beach parking. For those of us that go to simply sit on the beach at their condo and have seen everything there is to see won’t really care. Here, in California, parks charge access fees and if I want to go, I pay it. As residents, we all pay. So should those that live on the islands.
I’m OK with paying these visitor fees, as long as there is a direct connection to the “site” we are visiting. Providing better infrastructure such as clean restrooms, maintaining the walkways, trails, fencing, parking lot security, etc.
Having lived on Oahu and the Big Island (moving back soon), one thing I know as fact: all of this money that flows into the state from tourists, be it spending or fees, is never used for what it was intended for. Also having lived in Connecticut where a lottery was started in the 1970s “for Education,” now sees that money going into the “general fund” and not used for its intended purpose. Same with casino money, which is why I have always been opposed to lotteries/casinos in Hawaii. As soon as politicians see money, they start seeing where they can unwisely spend it. The past two years have been eye openers for people who have come for extended stays for years. Hawaii needs to stop wasting money on foolish projects, like the “fail rail.”
You can’t give government enough money. I am in Oregon. They promised with the lottery all our problems would be solved. They still haven’t got enough money. Then the tax on marijuana was going to solve the school problems. Nope still not enough. They still beg for more money every single election. More gas tax was going to fix the roads. Nope. They still need more money.
As visitors to Hawaii for over 30 years, we recently had friends with us and was showing them around the island. We hadn’t been to the Pali is several years but it was always one of our favorite look-out spots. Driving into the parking area, we saw the $7.50 charge (for just a few minutes view). It is definitely not worth the charge and immediately turned around and left. Will not be sharing that with friends.
As a repeat tourist who has fallen in love with Hawaii, if the overlook had a donation box with a recommended donation of $5, I’d probably throw in a $10. Especially if the sign explained what good causes the collection would benefit. I don’t *think* I’m the only one…We love visiting Hawaii, have studied and abided by all the regulations necessary to visit three times since COVID happened. We are bringing friends with us (at considerably higher cost!) for their first visit in October. We aren’t at all interested in a high-dollar resort experience. We love meeting locals and living for a while amongst them, spending generously to support local business when we can…I hope that never changes.
I love stopping there when we are driving across the pass but for $7.50 I won’t anymore. Makes me sad but $3.00 was more then enough and yet they admit easy money.
I love the Islands of Hawaii but I am truly on a Budget not one of the big spenders.
Las Vegas made the parking all paid thus locals dont come to the Hotels etc near as much….what does that say….we don’t need or want you. That makes me really sad…I used to take my granddaughter down to her town dressed in her princess gown to see the Lions and the fountains and the Alligator(pretend) and then eat somewhere along the way. She threw tons of pennies in lots of different fountains and rode the monorail from Mandalay Bay to Excalibur and around again and chat, such fun.
If you can’t afford to spend money here to help protect our home then bottom line you shouldn’t be coming here we cannot afford cheap visitors anymore
If Hawaii “cannot afford cheap visitors anymore,” you will soon be unable to afford the rich ones as well.
The rich and not-so-rich tourists combine to make tourism $$$ possible.
So the islands are only for the well to do people. You call that Ohana? You need a lesson on how to be less discriminating about who can visit.