1,090 thoughts on “Hawaii Visitors and Residents Whipsaw in 1,000 Comments”
Kristen H.
It was amazing to us to think we were in the USA. We sat at a picnic table surrounded by locals smiling and laughing with us. All offered their hand in friendship. One shared his dinner, another offered a taste, and one knew the vendor and brought us rice pudding to try. It was delicious. This is the Hawaiian way, the aloha spirit. Upon leaving, another placed a kiss on my cheek in friendship. As we were leaving, a store owner offered an infinity scarf for holding a parking place for her so she wouldn’t have to lug her wares for blocks to her car. Every one along the sidewalk smiled. Cars stop at crosswalks. It appears everyone knows each other, but we knew this wasn’t so, it was simply the way of the island of Kauai. The Aloha way. Kauai is a place called Paradise, but the truth is, it is the people. They are as beautiful as the sunrises and sunsets. It would be a lonely place without the smiles and kindness of the few who call this island home. We leave this island with a permanent warming glow in our hearts. We now understand what Aloha means and will forever love this island and its people. There is no place like Kauai. Aloha and Mahalo for sharing your island with us!!
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Kristen.
That’s the Kauai that we know too.
Aloha.
Donald M.
I have been to the islands several times. I have always been treated wonderful by the people. We love it so much we are planning to move to the big island. My husband is going to teach there. I love the way the waters and beaches are kept so clean. I see nothing wrong with respecting the Hawaiian ways. I thank you for the respect you have shown us when we visited.
Kaitlyn
I am a resident of the Big Island. Also what’s considered a “haole”, a person not of polynesian decent (sometimes percieved as derogatory but generally not the case). The general population NEEDS tourists to bring home money for their ohana (family). I was warned of non-friendly locals and have never had that experience in my time living here. In hawaii, there is aloha spirit. They take care of their own first but there is always room for one more. As far as the pan demic goes, everyone just wants their families safe no matter the cost. These islands already rely heavily on tourism..BUT we are also small enough to be scared that it would spread like wildfire amongst our islands. The people are only rallying to re open because unemployment isnt kicking in for most of us. It’s been an uphill battle. Keep coming to visit hawaii when you are healthy!
Derek
Why would anyone visit Hawaii knowing that there’s a 14 day quar antine? Thats 14 days staying in a hotel room. I guarantee it they plan on breaking quar antine. I only our governor stopped visitors from coming during this time.
AK
Because they are not really staying put for 14 days and the hotel staff cannot really stop them from leaving.
Kent
I think it’s important to remember that a handful of visitors not respecting the land, the wildlife, nature and locals is not a good brush to paint the rest of the 10 million visitors. Likewise, a few rude or disrespectful locals or shop owners is not at all a clear picture of the vast majority of Hawaiians who are a welcoming and beautiful people.
Gerry C
Aloha,
We visit Hawaii every year and are well aware of the local/tourist label, but some of the strongest objection to tourists seems to come from transplanted mainlanders. At what point does somebody become “a local”? In a place as culturally unique as Hawaii it would seem to me that if you are not born and raised in the islands then you are not a local. Does citizenship confer the right to be “a local”? What if you moved to China and were not of that origin; could you ever be “a local”?
Mahalo
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Gerry.
Thanks for your comment.
Aloha.
Joanne R.
I agree with you!
Bernadet C
Hawaii is truly a paradise for my family. We visit Oahu every year and we never get tired of coming back. As for the locals, we only had one time unpleasant encounter with a young girl and her mother at the china town. I was asking how much was the mango and the young girl was ignoring us as if we were invisible. I was with my 2 daughters who was at the same age with the girl at that time and she kept looking at them. My daughter said something about why she was ignoring us. This girl started yelling at us and telling us to go back to the mainland. The mother instead of correcting her daughter’s behavior, she even joined her in driving us away. Both were very desrespectful,using profanity words. It was very embarassing that my husband had to take us quickly away from that vegetable stand.Obveously they didnt want our business.One of the locals apologized how this young girl and mother behaved. It seemed like visitors were not welcome to patronize thier goods ;however , This did not stop us from going to hawaii but we avoided going to china town. We discovered waipahu market and we’ve been going there almost everyday to eat our favorite dishes. Overall, people in hawaii are pleasant specially in waikiki area. I just feel bad to learn that some locals doesnt appreciate visitors but hawaii is a tourist spot,and a lot of locals work at the tourist sites. I just hope that those who got affected from the lockdown are getting help from the community.
Barbara P.
Hawaii certainly benefits from tourism, but as is true of everything, the marginal benefits of an additional tourist diminish as tourism grows.
At some point, additional tourists actually reduce the total welfare of our community. We need to be cognizant of that
Jason w.
Incredibly wonderful topic. I very much understand both sides. Our family have lived in the islands for many decades. I was so gifted to spend 8 yrs of my life there. Big Island, Waipio valley; when it was still natural and not what it is today. This was in the 90s. I was also blessed to have spent kindergarten and 1st grade on Maui. Molokai for months in 2003. Molokai was the most loving, friendly, giving, helping and caring community I’ve ever known. Maui was very rough as a white child. Big island was great! But also took 3 yrs to find myself feeling as a member of the community. Living in the valley? Best time of my life.
The families that I was part of knew exactly who I was and still am as a person that loved, respected, and protected the island and all that it offered me/us. The people that did not know me had me always feeling inferior because they didn’t know me. I was still verbally threatened and talked down to very often.
So, now that I’ve spilled my thoughts and memories…
I’ve always questioned. Is it fear based? Some sort of jealously? Is it the “it’s ours, not yours” mentality. That if you’re not born there you don’t belong. If there are answers for this please let me /us know.
I was torn from the islands for I had to move back to San Diego to care for my parents and a disabled sister. My spirit will always be there. Thank you for your topic.
I understand why tourists are treated poorly. Many of them have no respect at all for the planet, other people or themselves. How can we help tourists understand the importance of leaving everything one leaves, a better place than the one you entered? How can we give confidence to locals that gives them a sense of pride and leadership to parent tourists to become better living caring tourists.
Again thank you.
Tim L
Last September, well before Co vid, I booked our first trip ever to Maui. The 4 of us are scheduled to fly out on August 5th of this year. We are hoping things will be back to normal by then. However, we have been reading a lot lately about anti tourism from the locals as well as city officials. We are seriously considering canceling our vacation plans simply because we don’t want to go someplace where we don’t feel welcome. We have plenty of other places we want to visit. For now, everything remains up in the air. However, we are definitely not as excited about our trip as we were when we booked it. It could just be my perception, but I feel like the anti tourism sediment is not due to the current pandemic, but a deep seated feeling among many locals.
Comments are closed.
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It was amazing to us to think we were in the USA. We sat at a picnic table surrounded by locals smiling and laughing with us. All offered their hand in friendship. One shared his dinner, another offered a taste, and one knew the vendor and brought us rice pudding to try. It was delicious. This is the Hawaiian way, the aloha spirit. Upon leaving, another placed a kiss on my cheek in friendship. As we were leaving, a store owner offered an infinity scarf for holding a parking place for her so she wouldn’t have to lug her wares for blocks to her car. Every one along the sidewalk smiled. Cars stop at crosswalks. It appears everyone knows each other, but we knew this wasn’t so, it was simply the way of the island of Kauai. The Aloha way. Kauai is a place called Paradise, but the truth is, it is the people. They are as beautiful as the sunrises and sunsets. It would be a lonely place without the smiles and kindness of the few who call this island home. We leave this island with a permanent warming glow in our hearts. We now understand what Aloha means and will forever love this island and its people. There is no place like Kauai. Aloha and Mahalo for sharing your island with us!!
Hi Kristen.
That’s the Kauai that we know too.
Aloha.
I have been to the islands several times. I have always been treated wonderful by the people. We love it so much we are planning to move to the big island. My husband is going to teach there. I love the way the waters and beaches are kept so clean. I see nothing wrong with respecting the Hawaiian ways. I thank you for the respect you have shown us when we visited.
I am a resident of the Big Island. Also what’s considered a “haole”, a person not of polynesian decent (sometimes percieved as derogatory but generally not the case). The general population NEEDS tourists to bring home money for their ohana (family). I was warned of non-friendly locals and have never had that experience in my time living here. In hawaii, there is aloha spirit. They take care of their own first but there is always room for one more. As far as the pan demic goes, everyone just wants their families safe no matter the cost. These islands already rely heavily on tourism..BUT we are also small enough to be scared that it would spread like wildfire amongst our islands. The people are only rallying to re open because unemployment isnt kicking in for most of us. It’s been an uphill battle. Keep coming to visit hawaii when you are healthy!
Why would anyone visit Hawaii knowing that there’s a 14 day quar antine? Thats 14 days staying in a hotel room. I guarantee it they plan on breaking quar antine. I only our governor stopped visitors from coming during this time.
Because they are not really staying put for 14 days and the hotel staff cannot really stop them from leaving.
I think it’s important to remember that a handful of visitors not respecting the land, the wildlife, nature and locals is not a good brush to paint the rest of the 10 million visitors. Likewise, a few rude or disrespectful locals or shop owners is not at all a clear picture of the vast majority of Hawaiians who are a welcoming and beautiful people.
Aloha,
We visit Hawaii every year and are well aware of the local/tourist label, but some of the strongest objection to tourists seems to come from transplanted mainlanders. At what point does somebody become “a local”? In a place as culturally unique as Hawaii it would seem to me that if you are not born and raised in the islands then you are not a local. Does citizenship confer the right to be “a local”? What if you moved to China and were not of that origin; could you ever be “a local”?
Mahalo
Hi Gerry.
Thanks for your comment.
Aloha.
I agree with you!
Hawaii is truly a paradise for my family. We visit Oahu every year and we never get tired of coming back. As for the locals, we only had one time unpleasant encounter with a young girl and her mother at the china town. I was asking how much was the mango and the young girl was ignoring us as if we were invisible. I was with my 2 daughters who was at the same age with the girl at that time and she kept looking at them. My daughter said something about why she was ignoring us. This girl started yelling at us and telling us to go back to the mainland. The mother instead of correcting her daughter’s behavior, she even joined her in driving us away. Both were very desrespectful,using profanity words. It was very embarassing that my husband had to take us quickly away from that vegetable stand.Obveously they didnt want our business.One of the locals apologized how this young girl and mother behaved. It seemed like visitors were not welcome to patronize thier goods ;however , This did not stop us from going to hawaii but we avoided going to china town. We discovered waipahu market and we’ve been going there almost everyday to eat our favorite dishes. Overall, people in hawaii are pleasant specially in waikiki area. I just feel bad to learn that some locals doesnt appreciate visitors but hawaii is a tourist spot,and a lot of locals work at the tourist sites. I just hope that those who got affected from the lockdown are getting help from the community.
Hawaii certainly benefits from tourism, but as is true of everything, the marginal benefits of an additional tourist diminish as tourism grows.
At some point, additional tourists actually reduce the total welfare of our community. We need to be cognizant of that
Incredibly wonderful topic. I very much understand both sides. Our family have lived in the islands for many decades. I was so gifted to spend 8 yrs of my life there. Big Island, Waipio valley; when it was still natural and not what it is today. This was in the 90s. I was also blessed to have spent kindergarten and 1st grade on Maui. Molokai for months in 2003. Molokai was the most loving, friendly, giving, helping and caring community I’ve ever known. Maui was very rough as a white child. Big island was great! But also took 3 yrs to find myself feeling as a member of the community. Living in the valley? Best time of my life.
The families that I was part of knew exactly who I was and still am as a person that loved, respected, and protected the island and all that it offered me/us. The people that did not know me had me always feeling inferior because they didn’t know me. I was still verbally threatened and talked down to very often.
So, now that I’ve spilled my thoughts and memories…
I’ve always questioned. Is it fear based? Some sort of jealously? Is it the “it’s ours, not yours” mentality. That if you’re not born there you don’t belong. If there are answers for this please let me /us know.
I was torn from the islands for I had to move back to San Diego to care for my parents and a disabled sister. My spirit will always be there. Thank you for your topic.
I understand why tourists are treated poorly. Many of them have no respect at all for the planet, other people or themselves. How can we help tourists understand the importance of leaving everything one leaves, a better place than the one you entered? How can we give confidence to locals that gives them a sense of pride and leadership to parent tourists to become better living caring tourists.
Again thank you.
Last September, well before Co vid, I booked our first trip ever to Maui. The 4 of us are scheduled to fly out on August 5th of this year. We are hoping things will be back to normal by then. However, we have been reading a lot lately about anti tourism from the locals as well as city officials. We are seriously considering canceling our vacation plans simply because we don’t want to go someplace where we don’t feel welcome. We have plenty of other places we want to visit. For now, everything remains up in the air. However, we are definitely not as excited about our trip as we were when we booked it. It could just be my perception, but I feel like the anti tourism sediment is not due to the current pandemic, but a deep seated feeling among many locals.