“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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142 thoughts on “Holiday Slump: Hawaii Struggles Unsuccessfully To Revive Tourism”
We had a great trip to hawai this October.
If hotels wanted to get tourists back they should lower their prices and get rid of that rip-off “resort fee” where they charge for previously included items like water and wifi. I don’t travel with kids so I resent, in essence, subsidizing children’s meals. The rest of the “resort fee inclusions” are just as ridiculous. If they insist on charging, the hotels should be truthful in their pricing up front.
But they won’t. They’ll keep on gouging the few tourists who will visit.
Just returned from Kailua Kona, been going there since the late 1980s, .
The gouging is now out of hand, No maintenance on state and national parks, all in a state of disrepair. As are roads.
Restaurants are outrageous, equivalent to $75 Canadian for fish and chips, no booze before tip.
Empty parking lots that want huge prices that routinely tow cars away.
But the worst part is the big companies gouging the locals living in poverty.
The ocean was wonderful but the state local leaders need need to decide whether they want tourists or not.
The people that experienced the fires, from residents to police officers, to firefighters was horrific.
Loosing family and friends in that manor is very difficult.
With all due respect, I do not understand shutting down an island for months for mourning.
I cannot recall that happening anywhere else with all the daily horrific natural disasters happening around the world.
I think the build up of animosity for years was and still continues through the avenue of the wildfires towards the tourists.
Sadly, forever people have had to relocate due to catastrophies.
What Maui is doing to the vacatin rental owners is uncalled for.
How many Maui residents could Oprah’s compound hold?
I was set to visit west Maui in mid January. Booked in Nov after reopening. Outrigger flat out cancelled my 2 week stay at the Kapalua Bay villas. No choice, no offer to help rebook at another property or another island.
Asked me to rebook after June. Was told “don’t come, you’ll be making members of our community sleep in tents on the beach, is that what you want to do?”
Have to commend Outrigger for helping in a time of crisis, but not for the way they handled it. shouldn’t have taken my reservation if they were not ready to have tourists back.
I rebooked, but now appears uncertain.
Yearly visitor to Maui for 20+ years but maybe no more.
Typically, when demand goes down (the subject of this article), prices go down – it’s the basic economic principle of supply and demand. However, the article also states, on more than one occasion, that prices are too high: “It starts, of course with simply too high costs, especially for Hawaii hotels and vacation rentals. Hawaii travel costs remain out of control and out of proportion to other destinations.” So what’s going on here? How can prices remain high if fewer people are traveling to the Islands? Just as Yogi Berra once said: “Nobody goes there any more…it’s too crowded.”
Summer 2022 i was on thebig island. Went on a tour at a private reserve. Came back to find the windows smashed and our backpacks and a duffle stolen. Police blamed us for leaving stuff in car. They said they would look into it but never heard from them. Biggest financial loss was tours we missed since we had to take care of this. During our visit had to wait 1.5 hours after our reserved time at restaurant at volcano Lodge because some locals were having party no apoligies list goes on. Felt very unwelcome during our whole visit. Btw, we did donate to Maui relief fund. This was my 15th trip to hawaii and possibly last.
I have been coming to Maui for a month since 1968. During that time, I have experienced huge changes as Maui prioritized tourism as their cash cow. In time, the Aunties were no longer sitting on the beach, making leis and transferring their culture onto visitors. I learned the spirit of Aloha, Mahalo, Ohana and other critical dimensions of the Polynesian and Hawaiian way.
In time, those spiritual people were adversely affected tourism and forced to move off the Hawaiian Islands. During those years, phenomenal islands filled with the spirit of Hawaii and its peoples vanished.
The islands were forever changed. Tourism, vacation homes, short term rentals and hotels ruined the islands forever. It has been a terrible waste.
If the Hotel owners weren’t so greedy we would have more visitors, I have a vacation rental on the big island and have seen this year been th poorest for short term rentals, I charge less than 35% for a rental than the hotels and they say we are greedy, give your head a shake, hotels and now paid parking in Kona, trying to gouge tourists for every last dime they Can squeeze, maybe the governor will read this and wake up to the real problem, hotel gouging, aloha from the somewhat depressed big island!
There’s no aloha spirit there anymore. I had a place there for 12 years. It was wonderful for the first few years. I’ll never go back there’s so many other places in the world that are so much better!
No lack of tourism Dec. 22 at Maui’s Costco. You know they’re busy when there are no shopping carta available at entrance. The aisles were gridlocked with people loading up on everything. The scene was repeated at Target, Walmart and Safeway. Even the old Queen Mall was busy. You want more tourism? Get Taylor Swift to tell her minions to visit instead of HTA wasting our tax dollars on its recently approved misguided plan that will only make things worse.
The response of the State of Hawaii to the catastrophic Lahaina fire is also catastrophic and pathetic. The Feds were even worse. As soon as the EPA cleared the area for cleanup, every other State project should have been put on hold and all resources focused on cleanup and infrastructure restoration. Get the sites cleared but back charge the insurance companies. The town should be 80% complete by now and it’s still in cleanup stage. Puerto Rico recovered faster. If tourism implodes Waikiki will be a complete homeless dump. I bet Hawaii has lost enough money over this to build back the entire city for free.
It’s just Way To Expensive to go now to any island …we went 2 times this year and that second time prices had sot up alot ..hawaii is becoming for the upper class income now
We need to deversify. Our leaders need to bring more sustainable industries to Hawaii. Stop depending on tourism 100%. Tourism is not a sustainable industry for Hawaii.
I have often thought the same thing, but struggle to think of an industry aside from tourism that would add sustainable jobs on Hawaii.
Are you aware of any industries that would add jobs for locals?
I went last Christmas and I am still feeling the pain of the price gouging we encountered. While it was magical, we cannot afford to return for a while.
The cost of hotels and rental cars are making a trip to Hawaii unaffordable. We have seen costs to our favorite Big Island hotels double or even triple since reopening after Covid. After annual or more trips the past 20 years we will have to start looking elsewhere.
Hawaii is digging its own grave with price gouging! Iam going someplace else .
I just spent 2 weeks on Kona which I have done almost every December for over 20 years. Everything much more expensive except car rental. Very very limited free parking and very costly paid parking make it impossible for businesses to thrive. Price gouging is not welcoming.
This started way before the tragic fire. The majority of the Hawaii people I encountered during my last and final visit to any of the beautiful islands, were rude and unwelcoming.
When the cost of hotel, travel and dining is more expensive than countless of other gorgeous destinations you would expect top notch service. That is not the case. Visitors are clearly not welcome. So I have begun to take my hard earned money elsewhere. Good bye Hawaii.
It is pure Greed. Hawaii will price itself out. It’s a vicious circle.
I work in the service industry and a portion of our clientele are tourists but we don’t rely on them to pay the bills. Having just gone through the past few years of arguing with the most obnoxious people from the mainland regarding their covid theories and their anti mask propaganda I am glad to know that they are staying home. The traffic is lighter and the beaches are less crowded.
Newsflash: same people were obnoxious and rude on mainland during pandemic too.
I’ve been coming to Hawaii for over 35 years, but last year will be my last. The combination of sky rocketing prices and anti-tourist rhetoric has achieved what it appears the Governor wants, No Tourism. I’ve been to Mexico 3 times in the last 18 months and have 2 Caribbean vacations set for next year. Flights/hotels/ and attitudes are much better at these places.
Glad that many are choosing other places than Hawaii have fun be safe
Totally agree. Hawaii is off our travel list. We have multiple trips planned around the globe this year, and to Cancun but have lost interest in the whole situation there.
The tides are changing. Many visitors and backpackers would rather go to southeast asia. South Koreans and the Japanese are now going to Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines where accomodations are affordable and explore neighboring islands and countries within the southeast asian catchment. One Korean Family that I recently watched on TikTok who frequented palawan said Hawaii is beautiful but Palawan is a whole different experience and affordable. Many Europeans are also flocking to these countries giving southeast asia a real boost to their economies. I myself booked a vacation for 1 month Siargao , Chang Mai and Bali all for the cost of a two week stay in Hawaii.
I think we were on that flight from Honolulu to Kauai! We were a group of 9 and the plane was empty (Southwest Airlines)
So many complaining the Aloha is gone. The Maui fire, much like COVID, revealed a lot hidden beneath the surface. Locals’ survival is at stake, primarily via housing. And not just from the devastation in Maui, but on all islands from the ongoing pressures of wealthy people coming in and buying up land, as well as tourism. More Native Hawaiians live outside of Hawaii than within. Hawaiians do not exist only to be subservient as we smile, crack jokes, hula, and serve tourists.
Most (not all) comments on this topic frustrate me. 1: Go to Maui now. It’s a great time. Kihei is easy again. Upcountry is open. Crowds are down. Parts of Kaanapali Beach, arguably one of the most popular in the world, are empty at prime time. 2. Stop with the “it costs too much.” If you want to go there are many ways it can fit into your budget. 3. I feel sorry for STR owners – you are now being made straw men on behalf of chain hotels. Lawyer up. 4. Maui needs to quit playing the victim. Too many want more than they deserve. We all face loss. Don’t be unthankful, ungrateful, unappreciative. 5. The aloha spirit is alive – but only equal to the amount you give. It might be better this way.
What scares me about going to West Maui is with all the wonderful Lahaina restaurants gone, competition for seating at the remaining Kaanapali restaurants is probably brutal.
When I was on Maui last June, I noticed that the Lahaina Gateway mall is practically a dead mall. Can they use some of the empty stalls for temporary locations for some Lahaina restaurants to use until Front Street is rebuilt?
I’m looking forward to my upcoming trip to the Big Island and Oahu this May.
I just visited the islands a few days ago. While the scenery and weather were phenomenal, like others have mentioned, I can’t justify the cost. Hotels were outrageously expensive, food was outrageously expensive, and even the Hawaiian Airlines’ staff were rude and unfriendly when I tried to check in for an interisland flight. I had never flown Hawaiian before and was very much looking forward to the “Hawaiian hospitality” everyone mentions—I was surely disappointed and will never again take Hawaiian interisland, if I can help it. At this point, I’m better off traveling elsewhere to experience similar weather and scenery at a fraction of the cost and with much less hostility.
We the people of Hawaii Nei. Keep electing idiots. To manage our tax dollars, housing, livelihoods. Meanwhile they (the county, state idiots) appoint incompetent people to do the people’s business. Then this cabal of idiots kowtows to the wealthy. Who eff up everything they touch. So that we the have nots cannot afford to live in Maui Nei anymore…
I hope Hawaii get back to what it used to be.
We are booked for Maui in January. I wish we weren’t. The Canadian dollar is weak, so the cost for 8 days will be more than I want to spend. We have been coming to the island for 11 years (except Covid year) and loved every minute. Our last trip was expensive and we thought that businesses etc were just trying to play catchup from Covid losses. The high prices have increased more but I don’t feel the aloha spirit any more. There are too many negatives on social media and even if the video you are watching, or the article you are reading looks fun or interesting, there is usually someone negative or telling you to stay away etc. I have less than a month until the trip, I am not excited at all and will be our last visit.
We have been coming to Hawaii since 2002 and always loved it, but lately not so much. Unfortunately we will not be returning. Accommodation prices along with food, restaurants, services and even parking are rediculous. Hawaii is just not worth it.
There are many beautiful places to visit in this world for half the money or even less.
Headline should read,
Hawaii successful in destroying tourism.All according to plan.Destroy Hawaiis number one industry.
It’s an awful thing to wish for, but Maui really needs another COVID outbreak bad enough to restrict international travel but not enough to shut down domestic travel. If Mexico, Tahiti, and Costa Rica are not options, Maui might survive with most of it’s population in place. It’s the only thing that will save Maui from is political leaders intent on driving it into the ground.
I’m an owner of a STR on Kaanapali and was on Maui two weeks ago. Protestors on the beach are harmless but should not be allowed to be on the beach overnight per the laws established by the State. Not enforced due to Mayor/Gov policy. Coercing STR owners to provide housing for the displaced via increasing taxes or a moratorium will achieve little. STR’s held on for 18 months during COVID paying mortgages and HOA fees. I will wait it out can the State hold out without the revenue? No action taken or plans for prefab, RV, small houses, cruise ships or any real short term solution that can provide housing until new construction. After federal aid, in 6 months most of displaced will be gone. Is that the goal?
The main reason why a lot of Canadians are NOT going to Hawaii is the US exchange with the Canadian dollar ( $ 1.00 US ===$ 1.35 CDN )
Hope to get back when the rate exchange drops so other destinations are the choice like Cuba and other islands
I don’t agree that it is the exchange rate keeping us away as it has that way for years. I think the real problem is people don’t go where they’re not wanted. I’ve been going since 1978 and cancelled my trip this year not because of the cost but all the negativity, who needs it?! I don’t need yo be told twice you’re not welcome here, they said it I believed it
All the survivors want is a positive message, uncertainty creates stress. The government needs to send a positive message. If the government can provide cash to the survivors they will figure out where to live and buy food.
I predicted this downturn with the increasingly hostile attitude from native Hawaiians towards outsiders coming to vacation & the exorbitant hotel costs. Hawaii is biting the hand that feeds them & will greatly suffer financially because of both of these factors. I will no longer fly 11 hrs. from the East Coast to be financially ripped off & experience hostility from the natives there.
Extremely high hotel prices have made me stop going. I would travel there several times a year before. I have checked Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the big island. In Nov, I went to London since prices were more affordable there than Hawaii!
Messaging was not only poor, but totally incompetent. I’ll give the Gov a pass as he’s a rookie, but the mayor and cty council are totally out of their league. If they had an iota of integrity, they’d all resign and let someone with experience take over. Preferably someone with experience on the mainland. Lahaina, the economic engine of Maui has got to start demolition and reconstruction
immediately. No excuses. Progress should be the number one priority now.
Yes the messaging has been awful. All of Maui is aflame, the Big Island is one giant volcanic eruption, we love you, we hate you, everybody come, everybody stay away, list goes on. Forget the tourist agency, hire someone to get out a consistent message.
In spite of all this, I’ll be there in May.
100% agreed! As a local Maui resident I can attest to the incoherent, confusing, zig-zag messaging from State and local “leadership” is like a rudderless ship without a Captain. If I can’t figure it out on a day to day basis, how in the heck is anyone else across the fruited plain and around the world able to? Hawaii needs Strong, Courageous, Thoughtful, Action-oriented direction sooner rather than later, as across the board many continue to suffer…
When you continue to raise the cost of everything in Hawaii (rentals food taxes ) tourism will continue to go down as tourists will spend their vacations elsewhere…
Canadians are not going to travel to Hawaii when they are told they are not welcome. We are going to California and Mexico instead where the locals are happy to have our business.
The Hawaii and Maui governments single out STR owners for punishment to cover up their long standing incompetence and corruption. They think they can steal the STR owners property and force visitors into $900 a night hotels owned by the corporations that line their pockets. Notice that no added taxes or property confiscation are proposed for hotels. Shame.
This needs 1000 upvotes. Sums it up perfectly. Mahalo.