1,090 thoughts on “Hawaii Visitors and Residents Whipsaw in 1,000 Comments”
Elizabeth T
I have lived in Hawaii for 3 years and I love it! Generally, the locals are friendly to and do not mind and try to accommodate the tourism. That being said most tourists are respectful and present no problems. It is the ones that are disrespectful to the local people, the land and wildlife. Some tourist tend to forget people live here. Be respectful of the residents An example of the disrespect some visitors insist on coming to Hawaii during the pandemic when the state officials are just trying to get a handle on the vi rus and to keep the community safe.
They are still coming and not following the wishes of state officials. One example of the disrespect some tourist harassing the wildlife. Unforgivable. Respect should be a given when you are a guess in people’s home and state.
Ryan
Well stated. Respect goes both ways. The comment sections of FB and other sites allow people to be plain nasty. The vast majority of people don’t act like that out in the real world so don’t base the people of Hawaii’s feelings on a comment section. If TJ has been to Hawaii 5 times I’m sure he has seen the aloha here and felt it from most of the people.
Robbos
Mahalos for bringing up this subject; it’s one that divides people – largely because we avoid talking about it. As with politics, religion, and other topics, those who do talk about “the problem with tourism” have often been hurt by bad experiences, so speak angrily. It’s important to hear and respect the vocal minority on both sides, but also to recognize that the majority of tourists and locals are friendly and respectful.
Tourists come to Hawaii because of how different it is from their day to day lives. Most of them don’t understand that Hawaii is different because, until relatively recently, it was a different country. Hawaii had it’s own leaders, laws, language, history, and culture. But as we’ve seen with so many other countries, foreigners invaded and treated everything they found as an exploitable resource. In Hawaii’s case the foreigners were mostly American. Over a period of years the Hawaiian government was overthrown, Hawaiian people were decimated by introduced diseases, Hawaiian religion and language were outlawed, and Hawaiian culture very nearly disappeared. The invaders treated Hawaiians like cheap manual labor, laborers working in a country and economy they suddenly barely recognized. Much of this happened only a few generations ago, so today Hawaiians still experience the painful losses of country, culture, way of life, and even family members. Hawaiians did not choose tourism as a primary economic driver; instead, tourism was established by the invaders, and is now promoted by them.
It’s important to recognize that the vast majority of visitors these days have good intentions and are respectful and friendly. But some visitors are not, and hosting and serving those people is a painful reminder of the losses experienced by locals. Idyllic visions promoted by airlines and groups like the the HTA (Hawaii Tourism Authority) bring tourists by the millions. Hawaii’s people though have a different idyllic vision, ones of their cultures and ways of life restored. The Hawaiian cultural Renaissance has renewed local pride, and the problematic tourism economy (and some tourists) provide a painful reminder of how much work remains to be done.
The United States has invaded many countries, overthrown governments, and destroyed local ways of life. To expect such places to willingly and happily become American tourist destinations is unrealistic. And yet, because of the love and sharing that permeates traditional Hawaiian culture, local people have made a transition that might be unthinkable elsewhere.
The low incomes that come with a tourism-driven economy are experienced in most other places now too; disposable incomes have been trending downward for decades. This means that many tourists spend a long time saving money – sometimes for years – to be able to spend just seven days in Hawaii. With such a heavy investment, tourists expect their visit to be just like the tourism brochures. The realities of life, even in Hawaii, may interfere with this.
The keys to both a happy visit and a happy population are the same: open minds, respect, and education. The more of these we see, the happier all will be.
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Robbos.
Thank you.
Aloha.
ES
This is a well thought out and insightful commentary on things that do not immediately come to mind when considering this issue.
If visitors become more aware of the issues they present to local populations when they act in an entitled and obnoxious manner, and if the locals will allow that most visitors DON’T behave this way, it’s easy to understand the fact that it only takes one or two bad apples to spoil a whole bunch.
TM
When you go to someone’s home you are a quest in their home and as such they are due gratitude and respect of their house rules. Same goes it when you visit their state. If you act a fool in the lineup in the water you will be quickly corrected. It is surprising people don’t get this but in the states you live in a much more self serving environment in alot of places. The south still holds some of those “old school” principles and tends to be a very friendly place unless you bring your Yankee Ass attitude with you. You get what you give. Aloha
Eva M
Maui is our vacation spot every year and this year we canceled due to this. I was rudely told to stay home and cancel my trip on another site, Maui Accomodations Guide. We realize this is not a good time to come but I was surprised at the comment. I have been vacationing in Hawaii for the past 30 years and have seen the decline in the Aloha spirit towards visitors. This is mainly from those who have moved to the islands. I still find many of the older locals to be the most pleasant and kind people and this along with the beauty of the islands that bring me back. I consider Hawaii my second home and if we could afford it, I would live there in my retirement. ALOHA!
Irene R
Most tourists and most locals are lovely people, and there is a small minority that are not so nice. As a local, it feels like the tourism industry oversold Hawaii. Our once quiet Hana Highway is so packed with cars, that the noise, rudeness, and traffic jams are ruining our way of life. Then, the FAA diverted air traffic over Haiku a few months ago, so now we have non-stop jet engine noise. We get no relief. I do not blame tourists….I blame the HTA, MVB, and FAA. Why did they build a brand new car garage at OGG for rental cars only? Ever since that happened, we have been suffocating. It also feels like locals have no say…nobody told us they were diverting air traffic, they just did it and there have been hundreds if complaints that have been ignored. You have to take care if locals if you want locals to take care if tourists. Mahalo for the opportunity to comment.
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Irene.
Thank you.
Aloha.
Keri M.
In February, we took our annual vacation to Kauai. We went Ziplining with Kauai Back Country adventures. Our guides were fabulous, and the ziplining was awesome, as usual. Our guide Cody was telling us about Hawaiian history. Over the years, we have felt welcomed and sometimes not so welcomed, but Cody told us something this time I have not forgotten. He said tourists are Hawaii’s sugar cane, and the Hawaiians are very glad we are there. As long as we respect the culture and history of the islands, the Hawaiian people are very glad to share their Aloha. It goes both ways.
Loleka A
Mahalo, Keri! You GET it!
Lance T
I was shocked to hear that prior to this, 30,000 tourist descended on our islands daily. I was shocked to see the aloha stadium parking lot filled with rent a cars and to hear that maui has the largest rent a car inventory at 20,000 cars available for rent daily. I am very disturbed at the disrespectful tourist that have descended on our islands since the 14 day quar antine was issued and ignore the quar antine, sneak around our communities in illegal vacation rentals and disrespect the safety of our kupuna! This has given our near shore sea life a small window to recover from constant human disruption. Same with our forests and lands that have been trampled upon seemingly ceaselessly, save for the occasional flash floods that thankfully wash away the human effects. Even before this, we have been fighting a losing battle on our infrastructure…..roads, sewers, water, schools, affordable housing, are all badly in need of repairs and upgrades. We have a badly planned and managed rail system that was already a financial disaster before this………so now we face two very bad financial situations to overcome. I say welcome the tourist when it’s once again safe to travel, let them come and enjoy the great beauty and culture of our islands…….but they must pay much more than what they.currently are being assessed by our state and county governments for that privilege. We are a unique premium destination and we cannot continue to allow 30,000 tourist to descend on our islands daily…. like fun living people crashing your party, they bring a bag of chips and eat and drink to their delight, have a great time but they leave you with the mess to clean up! We have evolved tourism to our detriment! We have an opportunity during this pause in tourism to re-set the value of our resources and culture and charge an infrastructure premium during their stay to help pay for all that is left to upkeep and maintain. For the sake of our residents and future generations, we need to shift the paradigm from the price you pay to live in paradise to the price you pay to visit and enjoy paradise.
Josie M
My husband and I live in Canada and absolutely love Hawaii! We go every year to the big island and have never felt anything but the Aloha spirit. Not sure why, but we feel so connected to the culture and history. It never ceases to amaze us. The absolute beauty of the islands is just indescribable! It’s truly paradise and feel blessed to be able to experience it time and again 😊
Michael O
Amen Brother.
Great Post. 🤙
Tourist doing the same on Big Island during 14 day Quar antine.
It’s so upsetting, locals are Reporting them.
No respect, this is why probably why Tourist receive No Aloha,
They don’t Respect the Culture, Land or residents!
They buy a property & rent it out to come for a month & class themselves as locals. They Act like they own the island parking anywhere, dumping trash on sidewalks…speeding through Intersections for What?
Maybe they could served themselves to see why they don’t get the Aloha.
Aloha is given to most people always in the
But these Tourist 30% don’t appreciate our Paradise.. But seems most Tourist are Cheap, looking for Discounts.
Robert A
I don’t you should Lump Every tourist who buys property as Not caring about the culture and history of Hawaii. We own a condo on Maalaea Bay and we help with the landscape, we do Not litter, in fact, we pick up litter. Picking broken bottles, caps, towels, beach toys, all kinds of stuff. We are proud to own property in Maui, we are constantly upgrading and we remind our guests to respect EVERYTHING! we don’t pretend to claim Maui as our own but we sure love it there. We shop local when there and have gotten along very well with locals. Can’t wait to get back. Thank you for Welcoming us whenever we are there!
Trisha K.
We lived on Oahu for several years when my husband was in the Navy. We went to church in the local community and learned to love and respect our Hawaiian friends. We now come to Kauai every year for 4 weeks and stay at the same location. We have made many friends and our family has Ohana family in the Islands. While we might be Haoles we have been adopted as islanders. Aloha and Mahalo
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Trisha.
Thanks.
Aloha.
Cheryl V
Great journalism here 🙂 I think emotions run high with locals and visitors because they have more in common then they realize. They all LOVE Hawaii ❤️
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Cheryl.
Thank you.
Aloha.
Comments are closed.
Aloha!
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I have lived in Hawaii for 3 years and I love it! Generally, the locals are friendly to and do not mind and try to accommodate the tourism. That being said most tourists are respectful and present no problems. It is the ones that are disrespectful to the local people, the land and wildlife. Some tourist tend to forget people live here. Be respectful of the residents An example of the disrespect some visitors insist on coming to Hawaii during the pandemic when the state officials are just trying to get a handle on the vi rus and to keep the community safe.
They are still coming and not following the wishes of state officials. One example of the disrespect some tourist harassing the wildlife. Unforgivable. Respect should be a given when you are a guess in people’s home and state.
Well stated. Respect goes both ways. The comment sections of FB and other sites allow people to be plain nasty. The vast majority of people don’t act like that out in the real world so don’t base the people of Hawaii’s feelings on a comment section. If TJ has been to Hawaii 5 times I’m sure he has seen the aloha here and felt it from most of the people.
Mahalos for bringing up this subject; it’s one that divides people – largely because we avoid talking about it. As with politics, religion, and other topics, those who do talk about “the problem with tourism” have often been hurt by bad experiences, so speak angrily. It’s important to hear and respect the vocal minority on both sides, but also to recognize that the majority of tourists and locals are friendly and respectful.
Tourists come to Hawaii because of how different it is from their day to day lives. Most of them don’t understand that Hawaii is different because, until relatively recently, it was a different country. Hawaii had it’s own leaders, laws, language, history, and culture. But as we’ve seen with so many other countries, foreigners invaded and treated everything they found as an exploitable resource. In Hawaii’s case the foreigners were mostly American. Over a period of years the Hawaiian government was overthrown, Hawaiian people were decimated by introduced diseases, Hawaiian religion and language were outlawed, and Hawaiian culture very nearly disappeared. The invaders treated Hawaiians like cheap manual labor, laborers working in a country and economy they suddenly barely recognized. Much of this happened only a few generations ago, so today Hawaiians still experience the painful losses of country, culture, way of life, and even family members. Hawaiians did not choose tourism as a primary economic driver; instead, tourism was established by the invaders, and is now promoted by them.
It’s important to recognize that the vast majority of visitors these days have good intentions and are respectful and friendly. But some visitors are not, and hosting and serving those people is a painful reminder of the losses experienced by locals. Idyllic visions promoted by airlines and groups like the the HTA (Hawaii Tourism Authority) bring tourists by the millions. Hawaii’s people though have a different idyllic vision, ones of their cultures and ways of life restored. The Hawaiian cultural Renaissance has renewed local pride, and the problematic tourism economy (and some tourists) provide a painful reminder of how much work remains to be done.
The United States has invaded many countries, overthrown governments, and destroyed local ways of life. To expect such places to willingly and happily become American tourist destinations is unrealistic. And yet, because of the love and sharing that permeates traditional Hawaiian culture, local people have made a transition that might be unthinkable elsewhere.
The low incomes that come with a tourism-driven economy are experienced in most other places now too; disposable incomes have been trending downward for decades. This means that many tourists spend a long time saving money – sometimes for years – to be able to spend just seven days in Hawaii. With such a heavy investment, tourists expect their visit to be just like the tourism brochures. The realities of life, even in Hawaii, may interfere with this.
The keys to both a happy visit and a happy population are the same: open minds, respect, and education. The more of these we see, the happier all will be.
Hi Robbos.
Thank you.
Aloha.
This is a well thought out and insightful commentary on things that do not immediately come to mind when considering this issue.
If visitors become more aware of the issues they present to local populations when they act in an entitled and obnoxious manner, and if the locals will allow that most visitors DON’T behave this way, it’s easy to understand the fact that it only takes one or two bad apples to spoil a whole bunch.
When you go to someone’s home you are a quest in their home and as such they are due gratitude and respect of their house rules. Same goes it when you visit their state. If you act a fool in the lineup in the water you will be quickly corrected. It is surprising people don’t get this but in the states you live in a much more self serving environment in alot of places. The south still holds some of those “old school” principles and tends to be a very friendly place unless you bring your Yankee Ass attitude with you. You get what you give. Aloha
Maui is our vacation spot every year and this year we canceled due to this. I was rudely told to stay home and cancel my trip on another site, Maui Accomodations Guide. We realize this is not a good time to come but I was surprised at the comment. I have been vacationing in Hawaii for the past 30 years and have seen the decline in the Aloha spirit towards visitors. This is mainly from those who have moved to the islands. I still find many of the older locals to be the most pleasant and kind people and this along with the beauty of the islands that bring me back. I consider Hawaii my second home and if we could afford it, I would live there in my retirement. ALOHA!
Most tourists and most locals are lovely people, and there is a small minority that are not so nice. As a local, it feels like the tourism industry oversold Hawaii. Our once quiet Hana Highway is so packed with cars, that the noise, rudeness, and traffic jams are ruining our way of life. Then, the FAA diverted air traffic over Haiku a few months ago, so now we have non-stop jet engine noise. We get no relief. I do not blame tourists….I blame the HTA, MVB, and FAA. Why did they build a brand new car garage at OGG for rental cars only? Ever since that happened, we have been suffocating. It also feels like locals have no say…nobody told us they were diverting air traffic, they just did it and there have been hundreds if complaints that have been ignored. You have to take care if locals if you want locals to take care if tourists. Mahalo for the opportunity to comment.
Hi Irene.
Thank you.
Aloha.
In February, we took our annual vacation to Kauai. We went Ziplining with Kauai Back Country adventures. Our guides were fabulous, and the ziplining was awesome, as usual. Our guide Cody was telling us about Hawaiian history. Over the years, we have felt welcomed and sometimes not so welcomed, but Cody told us something this time I have not forgotten. He said tourists are Hawaii’s sugar cane, and the Hawaiians are very glad we are there. As long as we respect the culture and history of the islands, the Hawaiian people are very glad to share their Aloha. It goes both ways.
Mahalo, Keri! You GET it!
I was shocked to hear that prior to this, 30,000 tourist descended on our islands daily. I was shocked to see the aloha stadium parking lot filled with rent a cars and to hear that maui has the largest rent a car inventory at 20,000 cars available for rent daily. I am very disturbed at the disrespectful tourist that have descended on our islands since the 14 day quar antine was issued and ignore the quar antine, sneak around our communities in illegal vacation rentals and disrespect the safety of our kupuna! This has given our near shore sea life a small window to recover from constant human disruption. Same with our forests and lands that have been trampled upon seemingly ceaselessly, save for the occasional flash floods that thankfully wash away the human effects. Even before this, we have been fighting a losing battle on our infrastructure…..roads, sewers, water, schools, affordable housing, are all badly in need of repairs and upgrades. We have a badly planned and managed rail system that was already a financial disaster before this………so now we face two very bad financial situations to overcome. I say welcome the tourist when it’s once again safe to travel, let them come and enjoy the great beauty and culture of our islands…….but they must pay much more than what they.currently are being assessed by our state and county governments for that privilege. We are a unique premium destination and we cannot continue to allow 30,000 tourist to descend on our islands daily…. like fun living people crashing your party, they bring a bag of chips and eat and drink to their delight, have a great time but they leave you with the mess to clean up! We have evolved tourism to our detriment! We have an opportunity during this pause in tourism to re-set the value of our resources and culture and charge an infrastructure premium during their stay to help pay for all that is left to upkeep and maintain. For the sake of our residents and future generations, we need to shift the paradigm from the price you pay to live in paradise to the price you pay to visit and enjoy paradise.
My husband and I live in Canada and absolutely love Hawaii! We go every year to the big island and have never felt anything but the Aloha spirit. Not sure why, but we feel so connected to the culture and history. It never ceases to amaze us. The absolute beauty of the islands is just indescribable! It’s truly paradise and feel blessed to be able to experience it time and again 😊
Amen Brother.
Great Post. 🤙
Tourist doing the same on Big Island during 14 day Quar antine.
It’s so upsetting, locals are Reporting them.
No respect, this is why probably why Tourist receive No Aloha,
They don’t Respect the Culture, Land or residents!
They buy a property & rent it out to come for a month & class themselves as locals. They Act like they own the island parking anywhere, dumping trash on sidewalks…speeding through Intersections for What?
Maybe they could served themselves to see why they don’t get the Aloha.
Aloha is given to most people always in the
But these Tourist 30% don’t appreciate our Paradise.. But seems most Tourist are Cheap, looking for Discounts.
I don’t you should Lump Every tourist who buys property as Not caring about the culture and history of Hawaii. We own a condo on Maalaea Bay and we help with the landscape, we do Not litter, in fact, we pick up litter. Picking broken bottles, caps, towels, beach toys, all kinds of stuff. We are proud to own property in Maui, we are constantly upgrading and we remind our guests to respect EVERYTHING! we don’t pretend to claim Maui as our own but we sure love it there. We shop local when there and have gotten along very well with locals. Can’t wait to get back. Thank you for Welcoming us whenever we are there!
We lived on Oahu for several years when my husband was in the Navy. We went to church in the local community and learned to love and respect our Hawaiian friends. We now come to Kauai every year for 4 weeks and stay at the same location. We have made many friends and our family has Ohana family in the Islands. While we might be Haoles we have been adopted as islanders. Aloha and Mahalo
Hi Trisha.
Thanks.
Aloha.
Great journalism here 🙂 I think emotions run high with locals and visitors because they have more in common then they realize. They all LOVE Hawaii ❤️
Hi Cheryl.
Thank you.
Aloha.