1,090 thoughts on “Hawaii Visitors and Residents Whipsaw in 1,000 Comments”
Rebecca
As a Hawaii resident I say over-tourism is a very serious problem and it wasn’t until the shutdown that everyone really noticed what an affect this is having on our island. The wildlife has returned tenfold, turtles, large crabs and sea monks sunning on the beaches, giant schools of fish, and yellow tang that have returned due to very few people at the beach. Traffic back to normal, manageable amount of cars. In my opinion the locals and residents are fed up with the people in charge of tourism. When you see over 15,000 rental cars in fields and think about the amount of traffic that brings to the small island of Maui you start to understand our frustration. I am back to a 5 min commute to work that last February was taking around 25-30 mins!
So it’s not the tourist we’re sick of it’s the sheer number of tourist that the airlines, hotels, rental car companies and government agencies are allowing to continue to expand without thinking about the people who actually have to live, work and get kids to school, go to doctors appointments, etc. We simply don’t have the roads, sewers or infrastructure to handle the numbers but hey anything to make a dollar for the corporations. It’s pathetic and we’ve all had enough!
In the early 90’s I lived in Oahu, I don’t want Maui to be Oahu and I truly believe that the tourist don’t want that either. Please limit tourism!!
Kim R.
Aloha Rebecca,
I certainly understand your point of view. My husband and I own 4 weeks time share on Maui, we usually try to get there twice a year for 2 weeks and we schedule those trips at least a year in advance. I like your idea of limiting the amount of tourists on the island at any given time. that seems like a viable solution that would make everyone happy. Enjoy your beautiful Island. I’m saddened we can’t be there this October as planned. We are scheduled to be there Feb. and Oct. 2021. We schedule well in advance. Perhaps Maui’s tourist bureau could use some of the $80 Mil budget to come up with a scheduling program and/or software to limit the numbers of tourists on the island at a given time. Have a wonderful day!
Mahalo
Kim
Gerry C
Aloha, I am a tourist and I cannot disagree with Rebecca. We used to come at Christmas/New Years but due to unbearable overcrowding everywhere we stopped doing that and chose quieter times. A free for all is unsustainable and damaging to the islands.
Mahalo
Dan D.
What “free for all” are you talking about?
Gerry C
Aloha Dan,
Perhaps “Free for all” wasn’t the best descriptor. What I meant was that the Hawaiian Islands have a limited or finite capacity to host guests, believe it or not. When the number of guests is only limited by the number of airline seats available it can overburden the islands. The availability of accommodation does not seem to impose limits. As everyone is aware, there are frequently new entrants to the airline market, offering seats far below the cost of doing business, which increases passenger volume. Nobody seems to care; the fares are irresistible. With respect to passenger volume, by way of example, during the Christmas New Year period there are so many guests it is difficult to move about, whether you are trying to find a beach spot, walk a path or purchase grocery items due to the checkout lines snaking to the rear of the store. The automobile traffic volume is frustrating to say the least. I can certainly understand why the permanent residents are upset with the tourist volume. I do not know what the accurate passenger volumes are but I have read that it is between 10,000 and 30,000 passengers per day coming and going. Do not quote me on that. Perhaps BOH would have some accurate numbers. None the less, we do not come at “peak times” any more. The islands are just over burdened, and I personally feel that there needs to be limits on the number of guests permitted for a given time period. Is that realistic? Not at all. I don’t have a viable or workable solution. Given the current lack of competant governance, it is unlikely that we will be part of the overcrowding problem in the near term, although I don’t believe our absence will contribute to the solution.
Best, Gerry
Rich
Gerry C,
How about a huge tax on tourists. I think Hawaii already has a 9.5% Guest Tax. If we move it up to say 50%, it’ll keep the White privileged tourists out, except the really wealthy ones. Is that what you’d be comfortable with. If you’re going to be unfriendly about tourist numbers, I’ll gladly take my hard earned retirement dollars and go visit elsewhere. Then your businesses and their employees will not have an income, because you’re inconvenienced.
Its Hawaiian Time, slow down and smell the Roses. (Plumeria).
Mahalo
Lisa S
My spouse and I have been wintering in Maui x 8 yrs. wWe try to be respectful, no car rental, we use public transportation. If car needed rent x one day. Restrictions on tourist will be hard to manage. Way too many new condo/timeshare buildings. May try to limit new commercial construction, yet does provide jobs? Same with tourist sites, way too many boats/cruises, limit vs jobs?
Rochelle H
Where did you come from? Are you being a hypocrite?
Rochelle H
So you are hating tourists? I’ve considered it my home away from home 50 years! Sailed there and back etc I’m not allowed? Were you born there? Did u know IZ?
Lynn P
I think you’re right. Very well said!!
The government has allowed for over tourism.
Erika F.
There has been virtually no tourists allowed to come to Hawaii from the mainland, yet your vivid numbers are climbing, so now where is the blame now
Joe B
I have been to Hawaii probably 40/50 times, since 1990, for work and for pleasure. I enjoy the beauty of Hawaii and the friendliness of many of the people. Lately I am concerned with the crime that is committed on the tourist, all the homeless and especially all the garbage littering your Island. I have driven on many road all around Oahu and am appalled by the trash and garbage littering the roads. Even abandoned vehicles. I know tourism may be a problem for many Hawaiians but all this trash and garbage, I am sure is done by locals. If the locals don’t respect their Island and their home how can you expect a tourist to respect your Islands.
1
Kalina T.
You’re right, it’s the locals who are trashing our islands. Not the majority of locals, but I believe it’s the “disenfranchised” ones who feel frustration for their situations: the homeless, the drug addicts, the “almost homeless” who feel they’re getting nowhere having to work 2-3 jobs just to afford rent. It doesn’t help that some of you on this forum who can afford to fly all over the world are critical of our so-called Paradise that many of us can barely afford to maintain our lives. Sad for us that our legislators took the easiest way out and made us dependent on tourism which is ruining our islands (housing costs, traffic, etc.).
It is useless for you to tell us to stop trashing our island because the locals who are reading these comments are most probably NOT the ones responsible.
Joe B
Kalina, I agree with you on all accounts. I love your Island and all islands in the Pacific. My family and I lived in Micronesia for many years and I have seen some of the same things there. Jobs are hard find, housing is very expensive, trash everywhere, almost everything must be imported and the industrial options are very limited. The biggest employer was tourism or government jobs. Drugs are a big factor too, on Hawaii, as they compound the issues. My comments where not aimed at the locals but at your elected officials and local tourist bureau. I was hoping that by venting my concerns on what I experienced, as an outsider, this would make it to your local officials. I could write to them but nothing would happen, as I tried writing them (not even a thank you) I am hoping someone associated with the tourist trade would see this and maybe bring these matters to someone who could indeed help.
Erika M
As we see in the news, the virus is now rapidly spread on the Islands by locals not following the rules about social distancing, we own a condo on Maui and wish we could come and stay for a while, however we do not want to be locked up in our place for two weeks, at least here at home We are allowed to go outside and buy our groceries, while wearing masks and practicing social distancing, wish we could do that on MauiErika M
Rick G
I live in jersey and I feel a deep spiritual connection with Hawaii and its people .I cringed when seeing visitors behaving badly during my two stays.I understand how that can color residents’ attitude . Maybe respectful visitors can be a bit outspoken and “teach” ignorant tourists about the respect and awareness required to truly appreciate the sheer magnificence of Hawaii and its people .
Vicki Lynn P.
I again need to emphasize the fact that we ALL come from somewhere else, There are many ethnicities represented in our United States. Hawaii’s residents reflect all of America’s diversity! Many islanders moved and settled here in California, to pursue greater employment and educational choices. So the mainland and the Hawaiian Islands should be a friendly two-way Highway of transportation! Tourism is the major source of revenue/income for the islands residents. Look at struggling businesses and the ability or lack thereof to pay rents and mortgages. Life is very expensive in Hawaii. So perhaps real reflection will lead to a renewed appreciation for the richness and economic benefits tourism provides for all of Hawaii.
Kim R
I’m so glad to hear encouraging words from locals that they need tourist and the dollars they bring with them. We are planning our semi-annual visit to Maui for Oct 10-24. I sure hope the government can get their infrastructure figured out in time for us to travel. We miss our Maui friends and the beautiful island.
Erika M
I so agree, we have paid airline reservation to Maui in October. We so hope we will be able to go
James B
Mahalo Nui for your balanced article. Notice in the posts how it changed the atmosphere from confrontational to understanding. The reason I love Hawaii is its kuleana, Ohana, and pono with those that share the love of the a’ina. Your aloha helped emerge those who truly love Hawaii Nei.
Beat of Hawaii
Hi James.
Thanks for your nice words and your many comments.
Aloha.
Patricia D.
Hawaii State run Hospitals are third world. Poorly equipped to handle what the fallout of a pandemic requires. I was a State employee in Hawaii for years. The state of Hawaii needs to put some of that tourism money back into it’s hospital systems
Dave R
You think state hospitals are bad, try one of the private ones (not Queens) if you have a medical emergency. Went through that twice, a couple of years apart. Horrible experience both times.
Hipit M
Im a local and I appreciate tourists coming to Hawaii the vast majority of them in my experience are respectful.The tourists spend a lot of money and without them Hawaii would be broke like Tonga
Dave R
Tonga’s financial problems are more from massive debt to China (largely for grandiose building projects) and the devastation of Tropical Cyclone Gita ($250 million damage in a nation with an annual GDP of about $450 million – that’s over half the annual GDP in storm damage).
Holo B
Tonga would not need a loan from China if it had the amount of tourists Hawaii has.
Comments are closed.
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As a Hawaii resident I say over-tourism is a very serious problem and it wasn’t until the shutdown that everyone really noticed what an affect this is having on our island. The wildlife has returned tenfold, turtles, large crabs and sea monks sunning on the beaches, giant schools of fish, and yellow tang that have returned due to very few people at the beach. Traffic back to normal, manageable amount of cars. In my opinion the locals and residents are fed up with the people in charge of tourism. When you see over 15,000 rental cars in fields and think about the amount of traffic that brings to the small island of Maui you start to understand our frustration. I am back to a 5 min commute to work that last February was taking around 25-30 mins!
So it’s not the tourist we’re sick of it’s the sheer number of tourist that the airlines, hotels, rental car companies and government agencies are allowing to continue to expand without thinking about the people who actually have to live, work and get kids to school, go to doctors appointments, etc. We simply don’t have the roads, sewers or infrastructure to handle the numbers but hey anything to make a dollar for the corporations. It’s pathetic and we’ve all had enough!
In the early 90’s I lived in Oahu, I don’t want Maui to be Oahu and I truly believe that the tourist don’t want that either. Please limit tourism!!
Aloha Rebecca,
I certainly understand your point of view. My husband and I own 4 weeks time share on Maui, we usually try to get there twice a year for 2 weeks and we schedule those trips at least a year in advance. I like your idea of limiting the amount of tourists on the island at any given time. that seems like a viable solution that would make everyone happy. Enjoy your beautiful Island. I’m saddened we can’t be there this October as planned. We are scheduled to be there Feb. and Oct. 2021. We schedule well in advance. Perhaps Maui’s tourist bureau could use some of the $80 Mil budget to come up with a scheduling program and/or software to limit the numbers of tourists on the island at a given time. Have a wonderful day!
Mahalo
Kim
Aloha, I am a tourist and I cannot disagree with Rebecca. We used to come at Christmas/New Years but due to unbearable overcrowding everywhere we stopped doing that and chose quieter times. A free for all is unsustainable and damaging to the islands.
Mahalo
What “free for all” are you talking about?
Aloha Dan,
Perhaps “Free for all” wasn’t the best descriptor. What I meant was that the Hawaiian Islands have a limited or finite capacity to host guests, believe it or not. When the number of guests is only limited by the number of airline seats available it can overburden the islands. The availability of accommodation does not seem to impose limits. As everyone is aware, there are frequently new entrants to the airline market, offering seats far below the cost of doing business, which increases passenger volume. Nobody seems to care; the fares are irresistible. With respect to passenger volume, by way of example, during the Christmas New Year period there are so many guests it is difficult to move about, whether you are trying to find a beach spot, walk a path or purchase grocery items due to the checkout lines snaking to the rear of the store. The automobile traffic volume is frustrating to say the least. I can certainly understand why the permanent residents are upset with the tourist volume. I do not know what the accurate passenger volumes are but I have read that it is between 10,000 and 30,000 passengers per day coming and going. Do not quote me on that. Perhaps BOH would have some accurate numbers. None the less, we do not come at “peak times” any more. The islands are just over burdened, and I personally feel that there needs to be limits on the number of guests permitted for a given time period. Is that realistic? Not at all. I don’t have a viable or workable solution. Given the current lack of competant governance, it is unlikely that we will be part of the overcrowding problem in the near term, although I don’t believe our absence will contribute to the solution.
Best, Gerry
Gerry C,
How about a huge tax on tourists. I think Hawaii already has a 9.5% Guest Tax. If we move it up to say 50%, it’ll keep the White privileged tourists out, except the really wealthy ones. Is that what you’d be comfortable with. If you’re going to be unfriendly about tourist numbers, I’ll gladly take my hard earned retirement dollars and go visit elsewhere. Then your businesses and their employees will not have an income, because you’re inconvenienced.
Its Hawaiian Time, slow down and smell the Roses. (Plumeria).
Mahalo
My spouse and I have been wintering in Maui x 8 yrs. wWe try to be respectful, no car rental, we use public transportation. If car needed rent x one day. Restrictions on tourist will be hard to manage. Way too many new condo/timeshare buildings. May try to limit new commercial construction, yet does provide jobs? Same with tourist sites, way too many boats/cruises, limit vs jobs?
Where did you come from? Are you being a hypocrite?
So you are hating tourists? I’ve considered it my home away from home 50 years! Sailed there and back etc I’m not allowed? Were you born there? Did u know IZ?
I think you’re right. Very well said!!
The government has allowed for over tourism.
There has been virtually no tourists allowed to come to Hawaii from the mainland, yet your vivid numbers are climbing, so now where is the blame now
I have been to Hawaii probably 40/50 times, since 1990, for work and for pleasure. I enjoy the beauty of Hawaii and the friendliness of many of the people. Lately I am concerned with the crime that is committed on the tourist, all the homeless and especially all the garbage littering your Island. I have driven on many road all around Oahu and am appalled by the trash and garbage littering the roads. Even abandoned vehicles. I know tourism may be a problem for many Hawaiians but all this trash and garbage, I am sure is done by locals. If the locals don’t respect their Island and their home how can you expect a tourist to respect your Islands.
You’re right, it’s the locals who are trashing our islands. Not the majority of locals, but I believe it’s the “disenfranchised” ones who feel frustration for their situations: the homeless, the drug addicts, the “almost homeless” who feel they’re getting nowhere having to work 2-3 jobs just to afford rent. It doesn’t help that some of you on this forum who can afford to fly all over the world are critical of our so-called Paradise that many of us can barely afford to maintain our lives. Sad for us that our legislators took the easiest way out and made us dependent on tourism which is ruining our islands (housing costs, traffic, etc.).
It is useless for you to tell us to stop trashing our island because the locals who are reading these comments are most probably NOT the ones responsible.
Kalina, I agree with you on all accounts. I love your Island and all islands in the Pacific. My family and I lived in Micronesia for many years and I have seen some of the same things there. Jobs are hard find, housing is very expensive, trash everywhere, almost everything must be imported and the industrial options are very limited. The biggest employer was tourism or government jobs. Drugs are a big factor too, on Hawaii, as they compound the issues. My comments where not aimed at the locals but at your elected officials and local tourist bureau. I was hoping that by venting my concerns on what I experienced, as an outsider, this would make it to your local officials. I could write to them but nothing would happen, as I tried writing them (not even a thank you) I am hoping someone associated with the tourist trade would see this and maybe bring these matters to someone who could indeed help.
As we see in the news, the virus is now rapidly spread on the Islands by locals not following the rules about social distancing, we own a condo on Maui and wish we could come and stay for a while, however we do not want to be locked up in our place for two weeks, at least here at home We are allowed to go outside and buy our groceries, while wearing masks and practicing social distancing, wish we could do that on MauiErika M
I live in jersey and I feel a deep spiritual connection with Hawaii and its people .I cringed when seeing visitors behaving badly during my two stays.I understand how that can color residents’ attitude . Maybe respectful visitors can be a bit outspoken and “teach” ignorant tourists about the respect and awareness required to truly appreciate the sheer magnificence of Hawaii and its people .
I again need to emphasize the fact that we ALL come from somewhere else, There are many ethnicities represented in our United States. Hawaii’s residents reflect all of America’s diversity! Many islanders moved and settled here in California, to pursue greater employment and educational choices. So the mainland and the Hawaiian Islands should be a friendly two-way Highway of transportation! Tourism is the major source of revenue/income for the islands residents. Look at struggling businesses and the ability or lack thereof to pay rents and mortgages. Life is very expensive in Hawaii. So perhaps real reflection will lead to a renewed appreciation for the richness and economic benefits tourism provides for all of Hawaii.
I’m so glad to hear encouraging words from locals that they need tourist and the dollars they bring with them. We are planning our semi-annual visit to Maui for Oct 10-24. I sure hope the government can get their infrastructure figured out in time for us to travel. We miss our Maui friends and the beautiful island.
I so agree, we have paid airline reservation to Maui in October. We so hope we will be able to go
Mahalo Nui for your balanced article. Notice in the posts how it changed the atmosphere from confrontational to understanding. The reason I love Hawaii is its kuleana, Ohana, and pono with those that share the love of the a’ina. Your aloha helped emerge those who truly love Hawaii Nei.
Hi James.
Thanks for your nice words and your many comments.
Aloha.
Hawaii State run Hospitals are third world. Poorly equipped to handle what the fallout of a pandemic requires. I was a State employee in Hawaii for years. The state of Hawaii needs to put some of that tourism money back into it’s hospital systems
You think state hospitals are bad, try one of the private ones (not Queens) if you have a medical emergency. Went through that twice, a couple of years apart. Horrible experience both times.
Im a local and I appreciate tourists coming to Hawaii the vast majority of them in my experience are respectful.The tourists spend a lot of money and without them Hawaii would be broke like Tonga
Tonga’s financial problems are more from massive debt to China (largely for grandiose building projects) and the devastation of Tropical Cyclone Gita ($250 million damage in a nation with an annual GDP of about $450 million – that’s over half the annual GDP in storm damage).
Tonga would not need a loan from China if it had the amount of tourists Hawaii has.