Hawaii lawmakers are looking at ways to manage tourism through an upcoming new state visitor app. It will offer a wide-scale tourist registration system for “tourism hot spots.” This comes in response to the state’s ongoing tourism challenges and even mimics the app used at Disneyland. Will the kingdom built by Walt spread magic here?
Inspired in part by Disneyland app.
The proposed statewide visitor app seeks to modernize and simplify the visitor experience in a number of ways. It would provide real-time information about popular destinations and help direct visitors to less crowded attractions when needed.
The concept is in part inspired by, of all things, Disneyland’s app. That is in spite of Hawaii taking great offense to the appearance of visitors treating Hawaii like the Magic Kingdom. Disneyland says that their mobile app “Helps streamline your next visit and make the theme park experience better than ever before. Check park hours, see wait times, browse interactive maps, locate some of your favorite Disney Characters, order food, and so much more.”
Lawmakers want to implement a comprehensive solution that offers convenience, promotes responsible, distributed tourism practices, and increases revenue. If approved, the plan is to implement this first at six locations to be selected.
Key features of a new statewide visitor app.
First, details of how this will work are still to be revealed. What we know is that there is a planned facility reservation system that will be used on a statewide basis. On an Apple/Android app, visitors will be able to purchase pre-paid time slots to park at popular destinations, thereby reducing congestion and parking shortages.
This would be similar to what visitors already experience at Oahu’s Hanauma Bay and Kauai’s Haena State Park. The state believes that these are examples of hot spots that now have an enhanced visitor experience. They have, at the same time, minimized negative impact on residents. We’ll stop at Hanauma Bay later in the week to give you more first-hand reporting of how things are working at that iconic Oahu destination.
The app is intended to provide suitable alternative destinations during peak times and seasons, to move visitors to less crowded places, and to thus help distribute tourism’s impact more uniformly throughout the state.
Accessibility is another aspect of the proposal, which includes things like locating accessible restrooms, and accessible parking spots, to having multi-language functionality.
New Hawaii visitor app will offer safety and cultural guidelines, too.
The app will focus on visitor awareness and offer safety guidelines for different destinations, cultural traditions, and sustainability endeavors. The goal is to promote more responsible tourism behavior and foster a greater understanding of and respect for Hawaii’s traditions and environment.
The idea is promoted by Representative Sean Quinlan, Chair of the House Tourism Committee.
Quinlan has emphasized the importance of effectively managing Hawaii’s visitor flow to help mitigate adverse impacts on both the local communities and our natural resources. Lawmakers want to find a good balance between both promoting and managing tourism while preserving Hawaii’s unique character and unspoiled beauty. Quinlan said that the focus is essentially two-fold. First, to create more Hawaii parks accessible to visitors by reservation only. The second is to generate funds for use by the facilities. Exactly how funds will be appropriated remain to be unveiled.
HTA will be in charge of the new reservation system.
A proposed bill would require the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) to develop the new reservation system for parking at tourism hot spots. This seems ambitious and far-reaching for HTA, although we remain hopeful.
The visitor parking reservation system will allocate pre-paid time slots at locations that are still to be designated. The fees collected through the new app-based system are planned to directly benefit either the state’s Department of Land and Natural Resources (state facilities) or the county park systems. These funds will be earmarked for maintenance and improvement.
This proposal is supported by both the Hawaii Tourism Authority and the Hawaii Tourism and Lodging Association.
What are your thoughts on this latest idea? Would you be more or less inclined to visit Hawaii if this new app is needed?
I think the reason I enjoy Hawaii so much is the ability to disconnect from my phone and from having to be anywhere at a particular time. Fortunately, I’ve done all the hotspots enough that I won’t have to join in that particular rat race while on vacation.
Catrina,
There are 49 other states. Your own country is beautiful too. I haven’t been to the Eastern cities, but the last time I was in Vancouver – it was great.
I live about 100 miles from LA in the high desert. My wife likes it more than I do. But we are only about an hour from Palms Springs and Big Bear Lake – so it’s convenient. Good luck!!!
We expect to make two trips to Hawaii this year, the regular one in August with family and another in November to attend the funeral of my best Marine Corps buddy.
I’m 79, wife is younger, and November will probably be our final trip to Hawaii. Mostly good times since 1965. I’d like a vacation in the Caribbean, she won’t leave the country. Good luck!
Ps. We are Canadian and travelling with a deflated dollar Canadians don’t feel welcome either! Hoping our experience in April is a good one! Nice to go before more restrictions and fees are in place
We already purchase reservations for Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s not an issue for me.
And it costs $2 a pop (plus the cost of the park pass).
If we ever go back to Hawaii, I don’t know what we will do.
As I have said many times, Hawaii is one of the 50 states. If it wants to change to a territory or country, then I can understand running it as they choose.
Visitor fees are not unique to Hawai’i. They are quite common in resort destinations in coastal California. Moreover, the Federal government charges fees at National Parks. Hawai’i has every right to charge visitor fees just like other states do.
Tim H,
You’re right about the use of such fees in other places. The difference is that the Hawaiian government seems to treat them as a punishment, while the others don’t.
We love Maui, or better said, loved. The feel of a Hawaiian vacation has gone from a year long anticipation, and gratitude to dread and uneasiness. We booked last year for April and have been on the edge of our seat waiting for the next shoe to drop ever since. Already planning next year and know the anxiety caused by costs, proposed restrictions and anti tourism vibes has us headed elsewhere. We are looking forward to looking forward to a restful and fun holiday!
Mexico and Costa Rica are full of American, European and Canadian tourists this year. Tourists don’t really go to the countries you mentioned for a beach vacation in your reply anyway. Security is always a concern in Hawaii with all the homeless people on the streets and beaches. No one wants to come to Hawaii to be disrespected by aggressive, ignorant locals who call you Haoli especially when hotel rates and taxes are ridiculously high and service is just plain lousy. Imagine playing golf or going for an excursion and the locals are getting a Kamaaina rate and you are paying full pop and being told how to behave! Goodbye Hawaii, it was great knowing you. Next stop, Portugal 🇵🇹 and Spain 🇪🇸!
What a ridiculous idea! Key word I got was Fund. Everything nowadays is $$$$…here’s a couple of thoughts: not everyone coming to Hawaii comes to hang out on the beaches etc, so the big windfall of money the govt thinks will come probably won’t, Secondly the last thing most tourists want is to go on vacation with a complete schedule ie Monday we have to be at beach X at 10, Tuesday at 2 we have to be at park X, etc etc. Vacations are suppose to be relaxing and the ability to do things at our leisure and/or spontaneously. If everything is regimented and planned out it isn’t as much fun. Thousands of people (many more than in Hawaii) visit Chicago, NY, Vegas every day and don’t need to plan their every move.
How would this work with the privately owned parking lots in like Kailua Kona that are paid parking but the proceeds paid go to whoever owns the parking lot I assume, like at Coconut Grove.
Not everyone has a cell phone, especially the elder generation.
And not everyone has a credit card to pay over the app.
I do not download apps on my phone. I also do not pay online for anything due to my info being stolen.
They already have this to visit Iao Valley on Maui.
I did not go in. They would not take cash at the booth. And they would not take my credit card at the booth, I had to do it online. Would not, so I did not go in after driving all the way there to see it.
Oh, great another way for government to know where we are and what we are doing. And control where we go.
Let the people handle it themselves.
On Maui Kamaole and Ulua Beaches there is a three hour window only locals can be there. They are looking at adding more beaches.
It says they are trying to generate more funds. Um, where are all the tourism taxes going? Why do local Hawaiians keep believing these politicians that just want more money and more ways to collect it. They’re destroying the ohana with their greed. And scaring away the tourists that provide us income. Stop falling for the politicians’ tricks or we’ll all be out of jobs. We need responsible, balanced policies, not any propoganda that they can get away with.
Maybe time to go somewhere other than Hawaii. Most unwelcoming place on earth!
Jeffery,
To me the most unwelcoming place on Earth would be along the lines of North Korea, China, and Russia. Not Hawaii.
I would never vacation in Mexico and Costa Rica. Drug cartels are killing Americans.
We do not all feel the same. The ones without aloha & our politicians are the ones sour on tourism. Many of us know we need tourism & still have aloha in our hearts sadly agree when we see the negative comments coming in from both sides. I guess I was blind to the many insensitive visitors. Over 30 yrs on Maui I have met so many wonderful, respectful visitors that truly love & respect our islands. Only in the words in recent forums am I seeing what locals have been complaining about. Truth doesn’t have to cut! We have not been able to change the politics. I get as many ppl as possible to oppose bills. I’m disappointed with our government. At this rate visitors won’t come & many of us will lose more jobs & our homes. Who benefits?
I would encourage you to try and show to people on this forum that not all locals view visitors the same way instead of saying that you now understand why locals feel the way they do toward visitors.
Many people commenting on here have been visiting the islands before you moved there, we feel insulted and hurt by the Hawaiian government and locals that we care about and have thought were friends for years, but are now treating us as though we don’t deserve to visit and actively trying to treat us differently and restrict our travel and experience in Hawaii.
I would like to add most Hawaiians I have interacted with have shown aloha and are friendly… on my last trip this past august, a family of Hawaiians was staying at the same resort as me for a weekend getaway, theymade it a point to express how grateful they were for tourists and went out of their way to show aloha, I know not all Hawaiians feel the same way and not all people expressing negative opinions even grew up in Hawaii.
The biggest frustration for me and I would say a turning point is Green/Bissen/other officials that are actively making comments about not wanting visitors from the mainland, trying to attract visitors from Canada/Japan/Europe and telling us to be mindful or respectful, it is insulting.
Kim L. Your post is the most kindest, sensical post I have seen. As I feel the same as you. 1000 percent. And would love to buy you lunch when I come to visit. There’s no way to know who you are here, so will just put it out in the universe that we sync and meet.
Thanks for keeping and spreading Aloha!
The Disneyland app requires a lot of learning and wastes time. I don’t know anyone who thinks it “enhances the experience”. Now the same for Hawaii? Talk about discouraging tourism!
“Hawaii’s Latest Tourism Management Idea Includes Pre-Paid Beach & Park Reservations”
It seems to me that Hawaii is doing a lot to discourage visitors. I come to Kauai every year (25Years) to relax and enjoy the beauty of the island. I own a time share (25 years), which costs me a lot in maintenance fees, which I bought so I could walk the beach. I don’t want to plan a walk on the beach, a hike , trip to the beach, or drive to the canyon weeks in advance. And I definitely don’t want to pay. I’m already paying resort fees, taxes, outrageous plane fares, etc. I save all year to enjoy my week on Kauai.
The people that are responsible for the eco system problems in Hawaii are the residents that live there. Take a drive along the Hawaii coast and see how many abandoned vehicles are sitting by the road or large heaps of garbaged piled up. Those are from local residents not tourists.
It’s going to be fun watching Hawaii decay when tourism drops signifantly and residents look at themselves in the mirror and have no one to blame.
You want to really experience the “Aloha” spirit of the native Hawaiians? be at a resort when they have “family” day. I witnessed it twice. once the Marriott Waikoloa and once at Hilton’s Kingsland… talk about total disregard for the rules, the facilities., the guests and resort staff. absolutely disgusting. I got flipped off and told “what ya gonna do bruh?” one of the pool staff at Kingsland walked off the job because they wouldn’t follow pool rules. can you imagine 12 people staying in a 2 bedroom unit? the kings land manager could only smile, snicker, shrug their shoulders and walk away.
Of course it wouldn’t be legal to exclude certain groups and only charge people that
are already paying large amounts to visit .
I’m not sure how residents of Hawaii feel about making a reservation to go to their local beach. Is that even legal /constitutional