“Stop giving tourists more reasons to stay away” Scrooge-like environment causes a downturn for Hawaii. Will the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come bring better news?
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“Stop giving tourists more reasons to stay away” Scrooge-like environment causes a downturn for Hawaii. Will the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come bring better news?
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Reasons why I may not go: A: “Governor Green’s comments are hurting all once again. Visit the short-term rental message boards and rental sites on the web. ” B:t has also been reported that some West Maui hotels have canceled holiday reservations to continue to be able to house fire victims. Outrigger is one of those hotel groups that asked visitors to change last-minute Maui plans. C: Since these comments, people are increasingly afraid of booking Maui, worried that the government will take their rental away from them
D: I dont want to go to a resort on Kaanapali and see sign-waving, and marches. It just cost to much to spend a so called aloha trip and be unsure. and finally, negative Social media posts .
I’ve tried to reserve in Ko Olina in Honolulu but prices are ridiculous.
After 14 years of going to Kauai (spent 2.5 months on my last visit), I am now going to Costa Rica for $125/night.
We have flights booked for February to Maui. Rates for hotels and resorts are insane. The Holiday Inn Express at the airport was over $800 a night after taxes and fees.
We have a VRBO secured for 4 nights in Sugar Beach but then are planning to fly to Oahu for the rest of our trip.
I’m waiting for deals on short term rentals In Waikiki. Many will sit empty without dropping prices. There are hundreds available.
Worst case scenario is we cancel the entire thing as the flights are fully refundable.
I agree with you on rates as even with the lower tourism, the rates do not adjust and just get higher. I am so losing my Aloha that was inborn from age 14.
As a Floridian who loves Hawaii and would visit again, all I see everywhere are comments from the governor and residents about not wanting tourism and complaining that tourists are ruining Hawaii. Couple this with the extremely high prices on travel and it makes for an unpleasant prospect. We are choosing to travel within the continental US and next year, to Japan. I hope Hawaii is more hospitable to tourists in the future.
Over-tourism has definitely helped ruin the islands, but Hawaii has grown so dependent upon tourism. Reefs and wildlife thrived during the pandemic, whine the economy suffered. For those of us lucky enough to have had steady work during the pandemic, the shutdown was amazing; being able to go to beaches and hikes I haven’t been to for years since social media & online reviews popularized many local spots.
Well the Aloha spirit got nasty and we voted with our feet.
You told us to go away and we did.
We discovered much cheaper and better places and we will never return to Hawaii to be extorted again with astronomical hotel and food prices.
So suck it up and stop complaining.
You shot yourselves in the foot and now you are wining.
Stop it, you brought it upon yourselves.
Our rental condo on Molokai is down in the last half of the year by 50%. Maui hurt us and caused cancellations as some of our renters are for a few days after or before spending time on Maui. The increase in TAT and Mokulele’s inability to be dependable in their schedule have also hurt. The poor economy does force travelers to cheaper places. Government never acknowledges how much of the problem they are.
We are heading to Maui for 10 days mid April and would love to revisit Molokai.
Molokai has rental condos? I thought a couple of years ago they banned them (i.e. put a cap on them at 0 allowed STRs). Did they grandfather some of them in?
I hear crickets from HTA during these troublesome times. The airlines and hotels have raised their prices to such a high level that akamai visitors have already found new destinations that are closer, cheaper and friendlier than The Islands. Very sad since, as per usual, state officials think they are still sitting on a golden egg.
World conditions seemingly will not improve in the near future. Hope this is not the beginning of the end for Hawaii’s economy.
Unfortunately locals in Hawaii and the liberal government made it clear we “outsiders from the other states” aren’t welcome. This was amplified during Covid and how Hawaii treated us. We have found new places to vacation, where we aren’t seen as troublesome invaders with dollar signs. The aloha spirit is gone.
The aloha spirit is a two way street. This is coming from a person who has lived here my entire life. Tourists have become less respectful of
residents living here. As a result, we feel there is less breathing room
due to tourism being treated as a commodity. The Aloha spirit may be gone, but its due to actions from both sides.
Just wondering if you could put more words about this.
How have tourists become less respectful of residents? I am here also, and am seeing the opposite.
Accommodation cost have ridiculously increased since reopening after COVID…
at least in Kaanapali! What once was affordable to the average traveler is no longer!
After visiting 2/3 times a year for 15+ years, it’s been made very clear we’re not welcome. Last visit to Kauai 2019 and BI 2021. Been to the Caribbean 3 times in the past year. Found our new place.
Same with us, had a big family trip planned prior to Covid, once Hawaii made it clear we weren’t welcome, we’ve been vacationing happily elsewhere. We fly from the NW down to Florida now instead and have had several great trips.
As a STR owner who is willing to rent to a displaced local family via the Red Cross, I must say the government’s handling of the situation is atrocious. The messaging changes frequently, there is no sense of a cohesive policy. I’m ready to share my condo at a specific date, but they can’t commit to putting a family in at anytime– it is haphazard and last minute. We are told one day that the Red Cross will handle things, then it’s FEMA, then it’s the Red Cross again.
Maybe if you got your act together Gov. Green, we could get these people housed and the threat of moratorium wouldn’t be necessary.
Thanks for posting this. We too, have a condo and I feel so badly for the people, but we really have waited all these years to finally be retired and spend a good bit of time in our condo with our disabled daughter. People think it’s a huge money maker, it isn’t, between seawall repairs, taxes, etc. we haven’t raised our rates much. The 5K a month and no property tax is a a lot of money, but there are so many other issues.
How about letting us repair our seawalls that have existed for 50 years, without having to jump through hoops.
Thanks BOH for the info.
Please try CNHA. Their website : helpingmaui.com
I know it’s very frustrating but I think they can help.
A sinking ships Captain who uses a useless, spinning compass & prefers to whine on the international stage cannot steer this ship to safe harbor…Pray for a life boat !
From a visitor’s point of view, “aloha” is sometimes quite silent and visitors are left feeling unwelcome by many. Even though visitors often are very sympathetic to the local plight they are sometimes treated simply as Interlopers in the locals world. We love Maui and Hawaii but we realize it can be hard to share your home area but we also contribute to your well being. We wish to help not harm. Aloha….
On one hand we have Sam trying to reach someone anyone at the state to get help helping the State to rent long term and then the state on the other one giving people mixed messages to all, tourist and locals alike. I am terribly afraid that this is just the beginning of the rediculousness of the rebuilding of Maui and Hawaii’s rebound from COVID. Just seems the State can’t get anything right. Happier New Year to all.
Hi Kauaidoug.
And to you!
Aloha.
Lieutenant Governor, Hawaii Governor, and Maui Mayor should get back on national media and say the Hawaii is open. Maui is open, but the burn area is still not accessible. As for the vocal anti-visitor protesters that are engaging in a fish in protest as a way to discourage tourism should be protesting at the government offices. Why blame the tourist industry. Just adds one more reason not to visit Maui.
On point. I’ve been here in West Maui (Honoknowai) since November, everyone seems quite friendly. Up here you have everything you need, if you have to go south (or want to), of course, you pass by the burned areas and it is devastating and horrible, but basically avoidable. The local people up here seem to be welcoming, just trying to live life. It’s still Maui.
People need the visitors. It’s more quiet now, at Christmastime, than it was at Thanksgiving. Very odd.
I dont believe the geographical issues of Maui are a huge problem, there are just a small amount that are uneducated about where Lahaina is located. It is more of the media that is causing the issues. And even Sheraton Resorts make sure in their ads to mention Firstly, that the “victims” are priority over rentals for tourists. It is indeed in our hearts, but a terrible way to advertise their costly huge resort!
For too long local politicians/Congressional staff have put their eggs in the one basket of “tourism” while paying lip-service to the need of a diverse economy including self-reliance (reference articles our islands have but a two week supply of goods to maintain us under any dire emergency). Hawaii’s fiercest competitor – the Caribbean islands – are but a mere few hours from most stateside population centers & will someday easily supplant Hawaii’s antiquated tourism market given these vastly modern resort facilities. Why would a potential tourist from New York want to fly uncomfortably 8 to 10 hours to our islands for a second-rate expensive vacation? Duh. Start thinking East/West. Self-reliance. Location, location, location…….
I have been traveling to HI annually since 1998
Covid & the fire made me understand how dramatically under prepared the state of Hawaii is for any type of emergency. Honestly I don’t feel safe going there, if I have a medical emergency or some type of disaster occurs Hawaii may cost me my life. I have stayed away for 2 years. The Hawaiian government needs to promote that they have fixed the total collapse of services during the fire and that it is a safe place to go. I can’t be the only long term Hawaii traveler that feels that way.
An important point was made,lack of resources. Hawaii is the most geographically isolated place on earth;both residents and visitors should be mindful of this in how they travel/live in Hawaii
that coupled with the air quality issues near Lahaina which includes Kaanapali!
The airlines could lower fares as well. We came in February 2023 and paid $643 round trip from Atlanta. 2024 it’s $900+. We have scrapped Hawaii from our 2024 travel schedule. Hoping for 2025!
What a dumpster fire. Anti visitor sentiment was so strong after Covid. Locals got free money and a private island. Why would they want tourons back…. Oh, a job? Housing can’t get approved or built as they’re too many rules and regs. Like mainland Native American reservations government is corrupt and nepotism runs rampant. It’s so expensive now with so many fees you can go to many much nicer places. The hotel cabal is what is trying to shut down the STVR market. Good luck!! Aloha!
Just got back from a month in Kihei. It was very pleasant. Everyone was very nice. We had been worried, frankly. But we did not see any particular hostility — or, conversely, phoniness and fawning. What we did see was that visitors and Hawaiians alike were outgoing and friendly. Engaging. Happy to talk. It was really nice, and unexpected. It did seem less crowded on the roads. Nobody else at Iao one evening. A wonderful trip. And the “Happy Wednesday” bikes with their LED lights were out in force as usual with their boom boxes. It was great.
While I can appreciate this site is focused on travel and tourism, perhaps it’s time as Hawaii residents, we consider shifting the paradigm and and actually start diversifying our economy so that we aren’t as reliant on visitors.
“Diversify.”
Maybe we could try growing pineapple? Sugar cane. Mac nuts.
The plantation economy didn’t work out so well either. Money needs to be channeled into better education, enhanced broadband access for all. Remote work is not just for transplants. With training and access, there’s no reason why locals can’t work remotely for companies who don’t want to open physical offices here in Hawaii.
Well, there seems to a reason locals can’t work remotely, as recently most companies on the mainland are summoning their employees back to the office.
We live in a tourist economy. Tourists are willing to travel to the most remote place on the planet for leisure and a change of pace. Manufacturers, shippers, and companies, however, are not – the numbers just don’t work here for them. Too far and way too expensive to do business here, which is also the case for most remote islands around the world.
Diversify into what? I always see this comment without specifics. Hawaii’s challenges to a diversified economy:
Cost of doing business – Hawaii is so expensive that companies aren’t going to locate here.
Cost of labor is far too high to be competitive in a world economy.
Workforce is insufficiently educated for a modern economy.
Hawaii doesn’t have the natural resources to manufacture anything without importation of materials and will always be at a competitive disadvantage.
In short, no matter how much you want a diversified economy, economics isn’t going to allow it. You should guard tourism like its the crown jewels because without it, Hawaii is doomed.
Been saying that for years. Wish the Politicians would start thinking of our future generations
We cancelled our March vacation in Maui and are going to Spring Training in Scottsdale, AZ. We can watch baseball for 20 bucks a ticket and soak up some sun at a reasonably priced resort. They also have some beautiful hiking trails. Hawaii doesn’t seem to realize that there are a lot of other options out there.
Arizona has amazing winter weather, especially the basin. Full sun every day with temps in the 70s, good restaurants, and importantly — affordable weekly and monthly rentals everywhere. Some of the best winter conditions anywhere, which is why you have so many Canadians in Arizona and Palm Desert, too.
Hawaii has excellent winter weather too, but, the commenters here have identified the problems.
Hawaii’s governor and Maui’s mayor view tourism as a personal ATM from which unlimited tax revenue can be withdrawn, even as they both carelessly destroy tourism in their jurisdictions. Both have declared war on short-term vacation rental owners in Maui. In doing so, they show how little they care about the tourism industry and those tourists who have already booked in Maui or plan to book there. Many examples exist of tropical paradises where unstable governments have destroyed tourism, to the detriment of everyone. Haiti comes to mind. By pushing up hotel/vacation rental costs through excessive taxation and driving visitors away through inconsistent messaging, Hawaii’s politicians are well on their way to killing the golden goose.
Perhaps you might want to reign in the hyperbole? Hawaii is a far cry from Haiti. Also, those who benefit the most from tourism are often mainlanders, either as corporations or private individuals renting out second/investment homes they purchased in Hawaii, thus exacerbating the local housing crisis. For most locals, the benefits of tourism are limited to primarily low-paying jobs in the service sector.
I agree with you about STRs that were previously owner-occupied or leased out in neighborhoods, but those are in the extreme minority anywhere on the islands, and are currently capped at a few hundred.
The majority of vacation homes are those that were built As vacation homes in resort areas by resort developers 50+ years ago. They have inadequate parking, storage, and play areas for long-term living. These homes were never “taken away” from long-term renters.
You have to be careful to not regurgitate misinformation you hear from and about localities that have nothing to do with our islands. We are a special beast, with a different economic history and an economy that, like it or not, is necessarily dependent on tourism.
Yet you keep voting in the same people expecting different results. Elections have consequences, and until you realize that, you will never get out of this mess.
It’s bigger than local politics. Unbridled capitalism where billionaires can buy 98% of Lanai, and large swaths of Maui and Kauai inflates land and home prices, rents, and the Aloha is largely forced to move to the mainland, leaving the wealthy part-time residents and vacationers, and the struggling workers who service them all.
On Oahu now, at HNL heading to Kauai in an hour. I canceled nights on Maui for more time on Oahu and, given the continuing drama on Maui, am glad I did. One week on Kauai and then another on the BI before heading home, all at short-term rentals, as hotel pricing is absurd. If prices don’t decline significantly in the future, this will likely be my last visit to Hawaii. It’s a big world.
We love Hawaii but stayed away in 2023, opting for Tahiti instead. Hotel prices are more than double what they were not that long ago. We love the islands but not enough to spend $12,000 for a week. The anti-tourist sentiment combined with the hotelier’s strategy of less reservations at higher prices are essentially the last nails in the coffin for us. The Caribbean, Mexico, and French Polynesia are better options. People who hold leadership positions in Hawaii don’t seem to be listening or even interested in correcting the situation. Aloha Hawaii.
Wow, I just looked at the Visitor Counts graphs put out by the government. It looks like Maui is almost back to previous levels for this time of year, and the other islands don’t look so bad either. I wonder why the discrepancy between this and what everyone seems to be seeing on the ground?
Not sure if I’m allowed so many comments… it seems those numbers count lodging for the unhoused 8000 fire victims, the people who came to help, etc. I’m in West Maui now, it’s pretty quiet.
Hi Lani.
We appreciate all your comments! Now more than 100.
Aloha.
No, the government website I’m looking at doesn’t include housing of locals, etc. It includes only visitors arriving to the islands by plane.
Here is the website:
dbedt.hawaii.gov/visitor/daily-passenger-counts/
Take a look at Maui. Almost back to normal as of today, 12/23/23.
Just got back from a beautiful cruise to Grand Cayman, Jamaica, curaçao, and Aruba. Not going to spend my money in Maui ever again. Tourists know when they are not welcomed. We went there for many years and now we will be giving our money to other countries and places that appreciate us.
There are those who view this reduced tourism as a problem, whereas the State of Hawaii and the County of Maui most probably view it as a solution. These governmental factions have been trying desperately to pass legislation to reduce tourism for years now, far predating the fires and even the pandemic. Their prayers have been answered with this latest plunge in tourism.
It’s clear that ideally we should strive for balance between tourism and resident needs. It’s also clear that the current governmental actions and attitudes are driving both tourists and residents away. Lower tourism numbers mean fewer jobs available. It’s a vicious cycle, but maybe it’s all by design, and we will end up with some sort of equilibrium in the end.
Tourism in Maui has been bordering on unsustainable since well before the pandemic. There will be continued fallout as the Maui fires also highlighted the ongoing issue with unsustainable development and irrational growth in an area with limited water resources.
“Irrational growth”? Where? The island has nothing on it, save for a few towns sprinkled here and there. It’s the scraggly, unkept land owned by the county and other negligent owners that exacerbated the fires.
I know, we were in Maui in November and actually noticed the removal of vegetation overgrown along the west Maui road ways. It is amazing what a fire does to remind people to actually try to remove all the dead and over grown vegetation along the highway. Then there’s the fact that so many people are allowed to have their homes turned into junk yards. It’s not only unsightly but a huge fire hazard to neighbors who actually take care of their property.
Governor Green, is quickly making former Governor ‘Nuclear Attack Warning in Waikiki (2018)’ and taking County Room Tax Revenue for the State General Fund, while mandating Lockdowns that took the jobs Police, Fire and Hospital, actually look better than the gnome he was!
Hawaii has priced themselves out of the tourist market. With expensive flights, hotels, resort fees, food, beverages, parking, and other garbage fees.
Much cheaper to go elsewhere with all inclusive food and drinks.
The Tourist Industry Bigwigs and citizens were warned about all the negative changes in the Tourist Industry that was going to drive away Tourists while also hurting some of the owners of many of the weekly and monthly rental units, but was ignored! Now they get to see what Greed and being ignorant looks like
This is becoming a very sad and vicious circle of events. Longtime hotel visitors will balk at what will become monopoly pricing next year. Editors are correct that there are other destinations looking more appealing.
We recently traveled from LIH to OGG on our way back to San Diego via Hawaiian. We left OGG out of gate 23. The entire wing seemed abnormally quiet for an 11:45 am flight. But since we have not flown out of OGG in a long time, we weren’t sure if this was typical or not. Travel around Kauai this year was drastically different than 1 year ago. Thank you for the interesting article.
Hi Kay.
Thanks. We appreciate you sharing your experience, and this first comment Welcome.
Aloha.
Someone did not tell people that are booking Hale Koa hotel. It is always completely booked! Lol I would hop on a plane to Maui today if I could. Unfortunately, we have to wait until April for our trip to Oahu. We plan to hop over to the Big Island during our trip instead of Maui.
We will be at the Hale Kao hotel in February into March. This will be our 5th visit since 2013 hopefully not our last.
Being retired military the Hale Kao is the only way we can afford to visit Hawaii.
Hawaii needs to stop catering so heavily to the Japanese. Yes, they bring in a large chunk of the tourism revenue, but they are not the only income. Almost every hotel in Waikiki has a dedicated Japanese section/wing and their own private concierge’s. They also have their own private tour buses/trolleys that the average tourist is not allowed to join. Frankly, I think it’s disgusting that Hawaii panders to the Japanese as heavily as they do.
In general I have not found the Japanese to be rude but rather polite, and they do spend a lot on shopping. Another asian group is not so pleasant to be around – selfie sticks everywhere poking everyone, no observance of lines/queues, very demanding + pushy. So be careful what you wish for. I don’t have issues with them staying in their own groups. They want to be comfortable while they travel. How many americans visiting Paris or Europe want to have their steak + baked potatoes for dinner at the american time? In this example, it’s the american who want the same as at home.
and let’s not talk about the whining when other languages are spoken as well as the native language + english. What would you want when you travel to Tokyo?
This a very interesting discussion and the points being made about Hawaii ‘killing the goose that lays the golden eggs’ with infinite fees and it’s geographical isolation essentially leaving tourism as the only viable industry here are valid.
However, this comment has spoken what has been implied by myriad comments above about the lack of ‘Aloha’ from locals. The truth is that many mainlanders aren’t used to not being at the top of the heap and not having their every whim and entitlement granted without question. sure, you are paying for services here but Aloha goes both ways. I have seen this attitude of treating Hawaii as a disposable commodity frequently and if these people choose to vacation elsewhere, all the best.
$650 per night plus tax at the Sheraton Waikiki no thanks!
I may be unique, but I don’t follow all the ‘official’ conversations coming from elected officials and it certainly doesn’t reach mainland news sources. I think the biggest culprit isn’t the State’s handling of the messaging, it is just Too expensive. When the hotels start to realize that and stop blaming other factors, you’ll likely see more folks interested in HI. I used to go twice a year, but after our trip in May (where it was over $1,000 a night) we are choosing other destinations like Costa Rica, Belize, and even the Bahamas.
Aloha BOH and thank you as always for the updates! I notice, though, that so much of this article talks about certain specifics of the Maui situation while also saying that the downturn is across all islands.
As someone who loves to visit as frequently as possible, the answer is very simple for us: It’s still just too expensive for accommodations, whether vacation rental (our preferred stay preference) or hotel.
I keep checking for a potential trip in 2024 but prices remain so far above (way above) what we can afford it’s just not possible for us to book. We aren’t “low-budget” travelers, we typically book nice places at a premium and even a stretch but current prices are just beyond our two-very decent income household!
Hello
Although I feel bad about Maui it is only one island. The other islands are suffering as well. I think this stems from Hawaii getting greedy and too cocky about its place in the world. Couple that with the anti tourism sentiment and you have a recipe for disaster!
Please fix this before we all go out of business!
Count us as those who have decided to curtail our two trips a year to Hawaii. Maui signaling is not welcoming and fees and taxes are just an in your face Stay away signal to us
Mele Kalikimaka