1,090 thoughts on “Hawaii Visitors and Residents Whipsaw in 1,000 Comments”
Kinohimauloa S.
Unfortunately, Hawaii has become too totally dependent on Tourism dollars and MUST start to think and act differently. When Tourists outnumber Locals, negatively impacting Residents lives there is a major and unpopular imbalance happening. Overtourism is comparable to having too many visitors staying in your home, selfishly over using resources, disrespecting your space, property and living habits or culture and treating you personally with disdain. Truthfully, whether it will be publicly admitted or not, In recent years as the number of Tourist increased to todays numbers, full time residents began to feel like and sometimes have been treated like indentured servants needing to be nice to people that they could see were disrespecting, them, their home,land and culture yet having to smile and take it in lieu of loosing their income. Hawaii is not the only special place in the world where Overtourism has risen it’s ugly head in recent years requiring potentially unpopular rules imposed on Tourist being put in place at these locations. Some of same type of rules,regulations and quotas are and will further be put into place in Hawaii to preserve the culture, the islands and sustain the Aloha spirit. Especially in Hawaii’s very rural areas Tourist today are not welcomed in the overwhelming numbers in the way smaller numbers of them may have been embraced years ago. Many Tourist today seem to be coming with a very different attitude that is not respectful or thoughtful of those that live on these islands. They frequently demonstrate an attitude of “I spent a lot of money to get here and be here and I can do and act as I please”. To sustain any future Tourism in Hawaii that will make Tourist feel welcome (especially on the neighbor islands) the number of Tourist coming requires diminished numbers in whatever way it can be achieved. Tourism marketing needs to stress the need for Visitors to be respectful of the residents, the land and the Hawaiian culture with examples of what NOT to do. Residents, due to the vi rus impacts, have now had a taste of what life is like without being “overrun” with Tourist,traffic and disrespect. . Almost everyone in Hawaii at this time is loosing money due to lack of Tourism but many may really wish there was a way to do something else to make money instead of chasing the Tourist dollar. Many wish that Tourism would NEVER again reach the previous number prior to this shut down.
Tanya d
So true! I don’t really ever see locals being rude and inconsiderate but i do see a whole hell of a lot of visitors being terribly rude and entitled. It has been wonderful not having the crowds, its allowing people to see their home in a very real way, without the crowds.
Anna S.
I have been to Oahu 3 times recently and every single time I had nothing but positive experiences. It may be because my parents have been coming for over 15 years and have immersed themselves in the culture and have shared it with me. They have even taken classes on the culture and my dad can speak a smidgen of Hawaiian. I think that if you act like a typical tourist, you’ll be treated as such, but if you have an understanding of the native culture, you’ll only be doing yourself a favor!
JohnW
Well said Sandy H……The Aloha spirit is all about respect. As we slowly open up the state it will be even more vital.
Wearing a mask is a sign of respect. You respect others because you want to reduce the chances of passing this on.
We respect our Kapuna here. We would never choose letting them die to save the economy like some mainland politicians
voiced.
Respect as we open up means tourists accept whatever restrictions are in place to keep us safer. Notice I didn’t say safe, that’s impossible, but we can keep us safer. It’s the best we can hope for.
We want tourists back that understand that, not the narcissists.
Michele S.
On a visit to Kauai a few years ago I was loudly reminded to stay 10 feet from a turtle on the beach. I bristled because I was at least 6 to 7 feet away for my photo op. My reaction was fueled by guilt of course. There is a parallel today with social distancing. 4 feet isn’t enough to avoid droplet transfer of orgamisms. At least 6. That’s been scientifically measured. I am sure the 10 foot rule for turtles has scientific rationale as well as cultural respect. I apologize.
Tanya
❤️
Jacqueline P
Please inform me as how to book a vacation rental in Oahu
Thanking you in advance for your help
JP
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Jacqueline.
That is not what our website is about. Try starting with a Google search, a guidebook, or Airbnb or VRBO.
Aloha.
Sandy H
I have worked in hospitality for over 40 years and have seen the Kona Coast go from a very rural laid back place to a crowded destination. You see both sides, folks who are thrilled to be here and want to learn about Hawaii, our culture and ways. Then you see folks who believe Aloha, means snap to it and serve me NOW, I have $$$ so jump.
Too bad not everyone gets that Aloha is really simple it’s called Respect. Respect us and we respect you. No matter where you travel in the world isn’t that a basic way to behave to all?
Margaret L.
We were in Oahu, Kauai, and Maui in February 2020 for over 2 weeks and felt welcomed and appreciated while there. We read up on customs and expectations of visitors and bought reef safe sunscreen before we left. We didn’t encounter anyone with a negative attitude toward us. We had a lovely time in Hawaii’s gorgeous islands!
Adrianna
As a tourist from the chilly country of Canada for 9 months of our year, Hawai’i is truly a paradise and also a cultural treasure. We visit during our worst months here, for the past few years and feel so fortunate to be able to do this, with such a warm welcome each time. Our family try to be very respectful and recognize how fragile the islands are ecologically, sociologically and economically. We give our extras when we leave to the homeless. We don’t litter or speed and we keep up with the news of Hawai’i back at home because we care. If our presence puts locals at risk, we would rather stay away, to help protect people. One day, when things are better, we will hope to visit again…A hui hou! Mahalo.
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Adrianna.
Thanks.
Aloha.
AW
One thing to keep in mind is the phrase “one bad apple spoils the barrel”. I suspect that many locals have encountered a bad tourist apple who has spoiled the barrel of all visitors. This probably works the other way around but I also suspect that much of the frustration experienced by visitors might be rooted in not understanding the local cultural norms and dare I say, an arrogant attitude that they are paying big money and deserve what they want.
I prefer to take a different view when I travel to Hawaii or really any place. I think of myself as staying in someone else home as an honored guest and one who wants to always be gracious. I feel this is especially appropriate for Hawaii given that Hawaii hosts so many visitors and truly the best parts of the islands are maintained for the benefit of visitors and not locals. I would think that you’d be really upset if a guest in your home took the master bedroom, drank the special bottle of wine you had been saving, left the place a mess and then complained that you weren’t doing things “the right way”.
I am a special case since I am lucky enough to have lost count of the number of times that I have visited Kauai and because of a business have been able to connect with various locals. And however much I have learned and tried to be a gracious guest I still get caught up. For example, my wife and I went to see a show presented by the Kauai Community Players in Puhi and it was clear that we were definitely considered outsiders and we felt a bit unwelcome. I do not begrudge this – locals should be able to have their own things but it is really hard to know. I had been to the monthly star watch in Kaumakani a number of times and had always felt welcome.
Patrick M
The citizens of Kauai and the rest of the state need to hold their government responsible for the rapid growth in tourism.
We purchased a condominium in Kauai just before Iniki. One of the reasons we loved Kauai and still do was the ‘Slow growth approach’ they took to development. That has all changed and the tourists and non-resident property owners did not get to vote on those new developments.
The county government loved the tax dollars and the new jobs. I would like to know if any readers of this have ever been able to see the annual budget for Kauai. Tax revenues have been at an all time high for several years and the roads have deteriorated to the point where you wonder where all the revenue is going.
We do vacation rent our unit when we are not on island so if you think there are too many tourists on the island then we are part of the problem. On a positive note we have found that Kauai does not attract a ‘Party’ crowd. The typical visitors we have found are either families, snow birds, or young people who want to enjoy the outdoor wonders of the island.
As a non- resident property owner I’m always amazed when statements are made that we, and tourists, are a financial burden requiring additional resources to be provided.
We are not a burden on the school systems, generally speaking if you look at the Kauai police blotter, we are not a large
law enforcement problem and if we require medical help we pay for it. We pay much higher real property taxes than permanent residents and all our visitors are taxed at almost 15% at the current time. It keeps going up because as another post mentioned it is easy to tax non residents who do not have the vote.
Bottom line we love Hawaii and in particular Kauai but we were a little surprised at some of the animosity shown to tourists during this crisis. In some cases it got very ugly. This has been followed by a lot of virulent talk about not wanting the tourists back.
One of the arbitrary rulings in effect now is to not allow any ‘Short term rentals’ even if the renter has passed a 14 day quar antine stay.
We have been informed by the Kauai Mayor’s office that if someone passes the 14 day quar antine we can rent to them if the stay is 6 months or longer.
Sounds like the county just doesn’t want ‘Tourists’ even if they have passed quar antine. We will survive this but many people who service and maintain vacation rentals will not.
Not sure if the county and state will survive the financial outfall.
We all hope that the Aloha spirit returns
Patrick M
Shelli T
Aloha Jeanne C,
Mahalo for you response! I really appreciate you answering my questions! Those were my feelings, especially with Ewa Beach being a local area. I very much appreciate your honesty and kind response. As much as I wish circumstances would be different and we would be able to come, I very much respect the people of Hawaii and do not want to be a reason for concern for them. Much Mahalo and Aloha!
Mahalo,
Shelli
Comments are closed.
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Unfortunately, Hawaii has become too totally dependent on Tourism dollars and MUST start to think and act differently. When Tourists outnumber Locals, negatively impacting Residents lives there is a major and unpopular imbalance happening. Overtourism is comparable to having too many visitors staying in your home, selfishly over using resources, disrespecting your space, property and living habits or culture and treating you personally with disdain. Truthfully, whether it will be publicly admitted or not, In recent years as the number of Tourist increased to todays numbers, full time residents began to feel like and sometimes have been treated like indentured servants needing to be nice to people that they could see were disrespecting, them, their home,land and culture yet having to smile and take it in lieu of loosing their income. Hawaii is not the only special place in the world where Overtourism has risen it’s ugly head in recent years requiring potentially unpopular rules imposed on Tourist being put in place at these locations. Some of same type of rules,regulations and quotas are and will further be put into place in Hawaii to preserve the culture, the islands and sustain the Aloha spirit. Especially in Hawaii’s very rural areas Tourist today are not welcomed in the overwhelming numbers in the way smaller numbers of them may have been embraced years ago. Many Tourist today seem to be coming with a very different attitude that is not respectful or thoughtful of those that live on these islands. They frequently demonstrate an attitude of “I spent a lot of money to get here and be here and I can do and act as I please”. To sustain any future Tourism in Hawaii that will make Tourist feel welcome (especially on the neighbor islands) the number of Tourist coming requires diminished numbers in whatever way it can be achieved. Tourism marketing needs to stress the need for Visitors to be respectful of the residents, the land and the Hawaiian culture with examples of what NOT to do. Residents, due to the vi rus impacts, have now had a taste of what life is like without being “overrun” with Tourist,traffic and disrespect. . Almost everyone in Hawaii at this time is loosing money due to lack of Tourism but many may really wish there was a way to do something else to make money instead of chasing the Tourist dollar. Many wish that Tourism would NEVER again reach the previous number prior to this shut down.
So true! I don’t really ever see locals being rude and inconsiderate but i do see a whole hell of a lot of visitors being terribly rude and entitled. It has been wonderful not having the crowds, its allowing people to see their home in a very real way, without the crowds.
I have been to Oahu 3 times recently and every single time I had nothing but positive experiences. It may be because my parents have been coming for over 15 years and have immersed themselves in the culture and have shared it with me. They have even taken classes on the culture and my dad can speak a smidgen of Hawaiian. I think that if you act like a typical tourist, you’ll be treated as such, but if you have an understanding of the native culture, you’ll only be doing yourself a favor!
Well said Sandy H……The Aloha spirit is all about respect. As we slowly open up the state it will be even more vital.
Wearing a mask is a sign of respect. You respect others because you want to reduce the chances of passing this on.
We respect our Kapuna here. We would never choose letting them die to save the economy like some mainland politicians
voiced.
Respect as we open up means tourists accept whatever restrictions are in place to keep us safer. Notice I didn’t say safe, that’s impossible, but we can keep us safer. It’s the best we can hope for.
We want tourists back that understand that, not the narcissists.
On a visit to Kauai a few years ago I was loudly reminded to stay 10 feet from a turtle on the beach. I bristled because I was at least 6 to 7 feet away for my photo op. My reaction was fueled by guilt of course. There is a parallel today with social distancing. 4 feet isn’t enough to avoid droplet transfer of orgamisms. At least 6. That’s been scientifically measured. I am sure the 10 foot rule for turtles has scientific rationale as well as cultural respect. I apologize.
❤️
Please inform me as how to book a vacation rental in Oahu
Thanking you in advance for your help
JP
Hi Jacqueline.
That is not what our website is about. Try starting with a Google search, a guidebook, or Airbnb or VRBO.
Aloha.
I have worked in hospitality for over 40 years and have seen the Kona Coast go from a very rural laid back place to a crowded destination. You see both sides, folks who are thrilled to be here and want to learn about Hawaii, our culture and ways. Then you see folks who believe Aloha, means snap to it and serve me NOW, I have $$$ so jump.
Too bad not everyone gets that Aloha is really simple it’s called Respect. Respect us and we respect you. No matter where you travel in the world isn’t that a basic way to behave to all?
We were in Oahu, Kauai, and Maui in February 2020 for over 2 weeks and felt welcomed and appreciated while there. We read up on customs and expectations of visitors and bought reef safe sunscreen before we left. We didn’t encounter anyone with a negative attitude toward us. We had a lovely time in Hawaii’s gorgeous islands!
As a tourist from the chilly country of Canada for 9 months of our year, Hawai’i is truly a paradise and also a cultural treasure. We visit during our worst months here, for the past few years and feel so fortunate to be able to do this, with such a warm welcome each time. Our family try to be very respectful and recognize how fragile the islands are ecologically, sociologically and economically. We give our extras when we leave to the homeless. We don’t litter or speed and we keep up with the news of Hawai’i back at home because we care. If our presence puts locals at risk, we would rather stay away, to help protect people. One day, when things are better, we will hope to visit again…A hui hou! Mahalo.
Hi Adrianna.
Thanks.
Aloha.
One thing to keep in mind is the phrase “one bad apple spoils the barrel”. I suspect that many locals have encountered a bad tourist apple who has spoiled the barrel of all visitors. This probably works the other way around but I also suspect that much of the frustration experienced by visitors might be rooted in not understanding the local cultural norms and dare I say, an arrogant attitude that they are paying big money and deserve what they want.
I prefer to take a different view when I travel to Hawaii or really any place. I think of myself as staying in someone else home as an honored guest and one who wants to always be gracious. I feel this is especially appropriate for Hawaii given that Hawaii hosts so many visitors and truly the best parts of the islands are maintained for the benefit of visitors and not locals. I would think that you’d be really upset if a guest in your home took the master bedroom, drank the special bottle of wine you had been saving, left the place a mess and then complained that you weren’t doing things “the right way”.
I am a special case since I am lucky enough to have lost count of the number of times that I have visited Kauai and because of a business have been able to connect with various locals. And however much I have learned and tried to be a gracious guest I still get caught up. For example, my wife and I went to see a show presented by the Kauai Community Players in Puhi and it was clear that we were definitely considered outsiders and we felt a bit unwelcome. I do not begrudge this – locals should be able to have their own things but it is really hard to know. I had been to the monthly star watch in Kaumakani a number of times and had always felt welcome.
The citizens of Kauai and the rest of the state need to hold their government responsible for the rapid growth in tourism.
We purchased a condominium in Kauai just before Iniki. One of the reasons we loved Kauai and still do was the ‘Slow growth approach’ they took to development. That has all changed and the tourists and non-resident property owners did not get to vote on those new developments.
The county government loved the tax dollars and the new jobs. I would like to know if any readers of this have ever been able to see the annual budget for Kauai. Tax revenues have been at an all time high for several years and the roads have deteriorated to the point where you wonder where all the revenue is going.
We do vacation rent our unit when we are not on island so if you think there are too many tourists on the island then we are part of the problem. On a positive note we have found that Kauai does not attract a ‘Party’ crowd. The typical visitors we have found are either families, snow birds, or young people who want to enjoy the outdoor wonders of the island.
As a non- resident property owner I’m always amazed when statements are made that we, and tourists, are a financial burden requiring additional resources to be provided.
We are not a burden on the school systems, generally speaking if you look at the Kauai police blotter, we are not a large
law enforcement problem and if we require medical help we pay for it. We pay much higher real property taxes than permanent residents and all our visitors are taxed at almost 15% at the current time. It keeps going up because as another post mentioned it is easy to tax non residents who do not have the vote.
Bottom line we love Hawaii and in particular Kauai but we were a little surprised at some of the animosity shown to tourists during this crisis. In some cases it got very ugly. This has been followed by a lot of virulent talk about not wanting the tourists back.
One of the arbitrary rulings in effect now is to not allow any ‘Short term rentals’ even if the renter has passed a 14 day quar antine stay.
We have been informed by the Kauai Mayor’s office that if someone passes the 14 day quar antine we can rent to them if the stay is 6 months or longer.
Sounds like the county just doesn’t want ‘Tourists’ even if they have passed quar antine. We will survive this but many people who service and maintain vacation rentals will not.
Not sure if the county and state will survive the financial outfall.
We all hope that the Aloha spirit returns
Patrick M
Aloha Jeanne C,
Mahalo for you response! I really appreciate you answering my questions! Those were my feelings, especially with Ewa Beach being a local area. I very much appreciate your honesty and kind response. As much as I wish circumstances would be different and we would be able to come, I very much respect the people of Hawaii and do not want to be a reason for concern for them. Much Mahalo and Aloha!
Mahalo,
Shelli