Hawaii visitor data in for 2023. On Kauai, for example, December spending was up more than 50% with fewer visitors.
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133 thoughts on “Hawaii’s Tourism Woes Unfold: Unfazed Downturn Continues”
Hawaii visitor data in for 2023. On Kauai, for example, December spending was up more than 50% with fewer visitors.
It is the price of accommodations that discourages visitors. We found a significant drop in costs between Thanksgiving and Christmas and went to the Big Island then.
Increasing hotel and airline costs are higher than most families can afford. Our family use to travel for up to 8 weeks a year. Even though we can afford to still do so, we have cut our travel vacation time to 2 weeks a year. We are of the opinion that there is no longer any value for the dollar. So many resorts have gone “all inclusive ” in areas that have many dining opportunities and from my experience all inclusive resorts attracts the worst kind of travelers as a great many do not venture outside the resort ground except for tours. Why travel to a new area if you are not going to emerge yourself into the local culture. These travelers want everything americanize
Hotel prices out of control, $45 a day event fee now coming $25 visitor fee, can’t use some beaches, pay parking everywhere. $25 a day parking fee at hotel! 12 time visitor, never again!
We are about to go back to Hawaii (honeymoon’d 27yrs ago) and this time via a Disney Cruise to Vancouver. We’ll visit Kaui, Maui, and Hilo on our floating hotel w. most meals on-board. 3 days in Oahu prior.
I am skeptical of the whole ke ea Hawaiʻi movement as it is unrealistic to expect a U.S. state to transform to, say, Samoa or Bora Bora.
The USA by our history, is a land of refugees, immigrants, colonists. Sad history, but not going back.
Hawaii, has awesome beauty, and is a land of big-business-government: cattle, military, Jones Act, agricultural protections & regulations, etc. All those laws exert some group’s interest to force others to behave, pay, subsidize a certain way. Complicated w. many unintended consequences.
Re: Downturn in visitors but an uptick in spending: The reason is simple. We have been coming to Maui for over a dozen years, and are currently in the middle of our usual January vacation. While Canada and US have higher inflation this year, the prices here in Maui have really shown an exceptional hike. It seems that in addtion to the inflation rates, there is another about 20-25% price hike buried all prices from retailers, crafters, restaurants, hotels and everyone. Clearly there is a recovery element in prices due to the Lahaina fire, and we accept that. However the state and the hotels in particular need to reassess whether they are being opportunistic and gouging. We love coming here, but you are grinding away at our goodwill.
Every previous time that I have visited Hawaii, I carefully filled out the tourism survey on the back of the required agriculture declaration form. For the first time recently, I did not. Surprisingly strong feelings of anger and disgust came over me when I looked at the survey and thought about the demeaning, petty, and negative comments made about visitors by various Hawaii tourism officials, government officials, and others that I have been hearing for a while now. I was tempted to write something about that on the form, but just decided to fill out the required side and leave the tourism survey side blank.
Aside from a weak yen, the increasing homeless problem coupled with our feckless government’s unwillingness to do anything about it is one of the main reasons Japanese are no longer coming to the islands. This has major ripple effects throughout the state and is one of the reasons Hawaiian Airlines finds itself so heavily in debt. Japanese tourists want to feel safe. Hawaii no longer does that for them.
Hawaii is no longer the place to go..it’s convenient..that’s all.you take great pride in finding new ways to squeeze tourists for every nickel
Quite frankly hawaii isn’t special at all
.bunch of whiners.stay home but feel.sorry and send us your money.
Tourists are told they aren’t welcome. Your Governor makes public comments about intentionally pricing lower budget tourists out. So much for aloha spirit.
Cost of hotel stays have increased and it has been harder to find Air BnBs or Vrbos.
Unfortunately the government is trying to get rid of vrbos and Airbnbs (there’s legislation beibg discuessed right now, SB2919). With new restrictions and requirements, licensing fees and renewals, not to mention having to pay almost 20% of our earnings in taxes, plus losing our homeowners tax exemption, and also with costs to just run a vacation rental… Families like ours have had to close down our super cute, unique spot which has helped us make ends meet. I wonder if we work too hard to stay here, but my husband does not want to leave.
Went to Maui 3 months ago.
PROS:
most beautiful visit.
Left an impression of memories.
Spent $10k+ in Hana, Kapalua, Makena, you name it….
CONS:
The locals are hateful.
The locals are a wet blanket.
I’ll never go back. I have my good memories
How did the locals know you weren’t one of them in order to treat you poorly? Was it really obvious or did you let everyone know in some other way?
“Locals” means something different in Hawaii than it does in other states. It means “people who have roots in the islands, particularly those of mixed ethnic heritage, including Native Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, and other ethnic groups.”
Big Rip.
I grew up in a tourist town… identifying a visitor is like a 6th sense for locals, no matter how much you think you fit in as a visitor.
Just look at their shoes….
The declines will continue and worsen because of the total mismanagement of the wildfire aftermath and the overall mismanagement by the one party political unqualified people in key decision making positions. As more of these unqualified people get placed into key positions the Hawaiian Islands overall tourism industry will slowly decline. I am one such potential visitor who is looking elsewhere for vacation spots becausethere of what I have seen going on by the political hacks in charge there.
Base your vacation on politics. Texas called they would love to have you visit them.
It’s one thing to hold your nose at the political leanings of a particular area, but to go someplace, with unreasonably exorbitant prices for everything, while they (the entire population and their political representatives) are actively calling you a white supremacist, deplorable or domestic terrorist is not something I’m interested in. Apparently, neither are a lot of other people. The Gulf Coast of Texas is a very underrated destination.
Paul you are absolutely correct about Hawaii’s one party incompetent clown car administration. It has being going on for decades and effects both the state and county governments.
Total miss management from the top down. Disgustingly very sad.
I tried to plan a trip to Maui, to help the locals, and spend money locally…But the hotel/condo/short term rentals that were still available were doubled in price. My regular places that were charging $200 a night, are now charging Over $400. So much for having anything left to spend on local food and products. I LOVE Maui, but now it’s time to find a new place that actually wants people to come.
Higher prices + less visitors look great on paper, but that will only last this season, with families booking holidays almost 6-12 months in advance, most of the visitors in Dec were likely already coming, any stats on prebookings for the next 6-12 months?
Instead of Maui we’re going to Phoenix for Spring Training ⚾️. We get to watch Shohei in a Dodger uniform for 20 bucks a game and bask in some Arizona sunshine. In addition our resort does not have those outlandish fees and taxes like Maui!
This isn’t just a Hawaii issue every popular vacation spot is more expensive. A 4 day 3 night stay at Disneyland is as much as a week’s stay in Oahu. Las Vegas is crazy expensive especially restaurants. Yet when we were at Hapuna Beach resort early last December it was at 95 percent capacity. We’ve been to Hawaii 5 times after shutdown never felt unwelcome, going to Maui in May to BI in October.
AAAh, this is not a surprise article for BOH readers. One BOH issue stated the goal was to earn high-end tourists to ease the island footprint. Whatever one charges, some will pay, affordable or not. People by nature, are followers, & this can go many directions, but if it goes the downward direction, it will slide down rapidly and the results will not be good for the island and its people. Only time will tell. Right now, the islands are suffering from the impact of the fire. My biggest worry are the fire toxins that will be carried in the air and water. I’m wise enough to know that any effects one experiences may take years before our bodies know the damage. I am heeding this warning.
Many of you are assuming that we had it better here before all the inflation started, when tourist numbers (and spending) was up. Not so.. Tourism was actually suffocating us; our beaches were flooded with tourists, our homes and neighborhoods priced into oblivion by vaca rentals run from elswhere, our nature retreating behind a sea of rental cars, homeless everywhere you look. Hawaii Nei in 2019 was a dying place and it hasn’t changed much. So, what is more important , tourism dollars or the world around us that sustains us?
Gosh, I hear you! Over population is a huge World concern. Birth control is a hush hush word, but if we don’t start lessening the foot print, your mentioned concerns will continue to grow. We must not be afraid to offend those that are screaming so loud, but hurting our fragile world and in this case, your beautiful islands. Higher end tourists will not make the grass any greener.
I think Leilani is barking up the tree of tourism. When we were in Oahu a couple of years ago, we were amazed at the amount of abandoned cars, tires, and broken-down appliances that littered the roads alongside piles of trash. I think that the locals need to do a little soul-searching before they blame tourism for all of the ecological damage.
In the end, the parasite always kills the host.
Firstly, technically you are incorrect about the parasite killing the host. Wouldn’t be much of a parasite if it did. That’s called a disease.
Secondly, if you are implying that tourists (aka vistitors) are a disease to Hawaii, you should be ashamed of yourself.
The relation is/should be symbiotic. If the relation gets out of balance (which it apparently is) then the relation needs to be adjusted. Which people of good faith are trying and willing to do (at least some of them anyway).
“Parasitoids are small insects whose immature stages develop either within or attached to the outside of other insects, referred to as hosts. Parasitoids eventually kill the host they feed on…”.
Technicalities aside, I was commenting on what Leilani posted at the start of this thread. She made the implication that tourism is a disease to Hawaii, not me. In fact, she pretty much said that outright. I simply threw in a colloquialism appropriate to the idea that she expressed. And I happen to agree with her.
When Hawaii pushes through legislation to shut down vacation rentals there will be far less families vacationing in Hawaii and hotels will be so expensive only wealthy people will come here.
I think that’s exactly what they want… billionaires need only apply. one only needs to look at Big Sky Montana to see the direction Hawaii is headed. Hawaii already has Ellison Island. Zuckerberg island and Maui appears to be becoming Bezos island.?
That is their plan.
I am currently vacationing in Kauai. I am blown away by the prices. The cost of everything such as milk, potato chips, all food pretty much is up 50 percent from my last trip in 2018. I am not surprised that spending is up even while visitor count is down.