1,090 thoughts on “Hawaii Visitors and Residents Whipsaw in 1,000 Comments”

  1. We visited for 5 nights starting on day 1, Oct 15. We masked religiously, and did our best to behave as respectful guests.

    The vast majority of people were friendly and welcoming, but we did have one afternoon at black rock where, on an otherwise empty beach, a man laying there remarked to his friend, “Oh $#!+. Here comes the master race.”

    1. Sad but telling that a Nazi term has resurfaced but that seems to be pretty common in America now…… the last few years has seen a tremendous surge in all kinds of racist and hateful speech and of course we all know why.
      As you said most people are nice and can’t stress enough, Hawaii is still Hawaii and it’s always been you find what you bring.
      The Aloha spirit is still a big part of the islands and not hard to find….especially now that it’s not that crowded!

  2. What do visitors think about other visitors perhaps is a good question. When I see ignorant people disrespecting the culture and not following requests and instructions I do not think much of my fellow visitors (for although I am a regular repeat visitor (4-5 times a year for almost 30 years) I class mysekf as a visitor. I find there is an inverse correlation between belonging to and being welcoming. Kama’ainas to whom you show respect are very welcoming where Malahinis tend not to be and what to tell everyone else what to do. THen we have the Macronesians who come under treaty and whose youth seem to be the cause of much anto Visitor crime. Looking forward to the Holidays if the USA reopens by then.

    1. No paul c it does not excuse mahini or native Hawaiians behavior towards tourists. Aloha does not work with that or being a hypocrite. You are entitled to your opinion however.

      Also richS comments on micronesians is true also, i have dealt with them. They leave plastic bottles filled with urine all over The Urban neighborhoods in guam. They throw trash in the jungle including full size black trash bags. They also burn thier trash still.

      I think This is Hawaiis legacy going forward if it does not change its tune very quickly. I dont feel like commenters on here can justify the confusion and attacks on tourism industry. Its simply wrong and biting the hand that feeds you.

      1. Funny thing CF if you treat people well you will be treated well. Its called do unto others. If I am a jerk to someone I totally expect to be treated as a jerk. Dont like how your treated in Hawaii feel free to go elsewhere. I have been many places in my life and as long as I treated their home with respect and was a nice person i have always been treated nice. You seem to have a particular obsession with this thread of thinking so why if you think they are so horrible are you still here?

        1. I find it funny paul c that you want to tolerate bad behavior from Hawaiians but not from tourists.

          You say im being a jerk but really its always been that way in hawaii before i came along 😀. Its just ramped up now w covid fears. Tossing out the baby with the bathwater isnt the way to go

          1. I will say it again. Treat people nice and well and you will get the same back. Nope not always. There are jerks no matter where you go but if you go in with the attitude you have towards the locals of course you will get that same energy back at you. Try being nice and see how that goes

          2. I agree with the golden rule, but I also see the side of what others are saying. Being treated like a threat/criminal before we even get to Hawaii probably isn’t the best message to send to tourists. As long as Hawaii’s economy is dependent on tourism, tourists will need to be involved in this crucial conversation.

            I am not planning on visiting because I feel unwelcome and there are too many risks associated with isolation or a ruined vacation to gamble my families precious time off together. They are even discussing adding more hoops to jump through to visit, like additional testing three days in, or proof of antibodies/vaccine….where does it end? Protection and responsible practices are one thing, but these restrictions are seen by many of us as an invariant and hurdle that is unnecessary. There are too many other choices of places to travel that don’t have these obstacles, and some of the comments that are negative towards travelers, may be what ends our interest in a visit. I truly don’t think people are on here just to argue, we all clearly care about Hawaii and what makes her so great. We just have different opinions and are trying to offer each other insight into those to better understand each other and ensure Hawaii doesn’t turn into a third world country. No one wants to see Hawaiians out of work/poor/homeless or businesses closed up, so we are all trying to express what needs to happen to prevent that. If we don’t start finding middle ground, the damage will continue, and Covid will be the least of our worries.

    2. Great comment and very on point. I agree, have respect and 99.9% of the time, you will receive the same. Sometimes people have bad days, sometimes people are just jerks, we never know what’s going on in another persons life, but having respect and compassion is a great way to live by.

      I think what many of us are feeling is that due to politics, things may be getting overblown, and it’s causing a division amongst people and seems to be directed at tourists as if we are the problem. I’m not saying Covid is not a real threat, or that it is, but I do feel that the local government is making it difficult to travel to Hawaii and its coming across to tourists as being rude/political. Hopefully Hawaii can figure out how to balance things without the need to restrict fellow Americans and tourists from visiting and enjoying her beauty and culture. I hate to see what is happening to the local economies and families losing work and closing down such unique local businesses. The last thing any of us want to see is boarded up shops and then all that’s left is the National chains that have no local flavor or culture.

      I personally think Hawaii should open back up and be more inclusive, the tourism industry makes up too big a part of the local economy to risk alienating travelers. I also just don’t like the idea of states shutting down and telling people they can’t visit or having extreme protocols in place that will likely do more damage than what they are intended to protect. If everyone would leave politics aside, and start listening to each other we would find some middle ground.

  3. The people of Hawaii are wonderful accommodating amd friendly. Visitors as shown here and across other threads posted by this great site clearly show why they are treated the way they are

      1. Mahalo Beat of Hawaii. Thanks for putting up with me! I didnt realize I had posted that many times! Hopefully one day I will actually have my feet on the ground in Hawaii! thanks for all you do!

  4. Mahalo for your information. We have been looking for our forever home in Hilo, as my sister in law & nephew live on the Big Island. I was born & raised in So California with Canadian manners from my dad. I’m a haole, but I want to learn the Hawaiian language as well as Pidgin. Will this be frowned upon or acceptable? I want t embrace the Hawaiian culture, with respect. Do you have any advice on this?

    1. Hi Marla.

      UH has an intro to the Hawaiian language that anyone can participate in. No issue and more culturally acceptable. Pigeon is more complicated culturally.

      Aloha.

  5. I have been wanting to travel to Hawaii for years and finally to celebrate my college graduation bought myself a plane ticket. I originally planned to go this fall but postponed it to next February due to Covid, who knows if it’ll be any better or different by then, but with all the negative comments I’ve seen from locals lately I’m questioning if I even want to go at all (stay home, get off our island, nobody wants you here, etc.) I’d be there by myself for a month and am so scared that everyone will be mean to me. I want to be a marine biologist so I want to come to Hawaii to see the marine life. There is nothing I care more deeply about than the health of our oceans and environment. I would be staying in a tent and working on a farm on Oahu. So I dont feel that I would in any way be a disrespectful tourist, but I fear that I will be judged and looked down on for simply being there as a mainlander.

    1. Abby you can go when you like, just realize the uncivilized behavior and attitudes was hid behind closed doors before covid. Hawaii needs a shakeup and rude awakening and heres my opinions.

      But you should be safe there just expect nasty looks sometimes and some excuses and the rare service denials. Its mostly asian with a more socialist outlook than America. The individual in hawaii is not as important as the society or group.

      Family is everything there and people live together in small spaces. There is some positives but i feel the negative is such a heavy weight and burden on Hawaii. It takes its toll on residents, like the poisonous vog at times, the constant strong sun damage, and the constant cultural, government and military vs locals conflicts and ideology clashes

      1. CF you act like the only ride people in the world are in Hawaii. Ever been to New York City? Chicago. Paris? Lmao Hawaiians are wonderful people. They are probably just returning your energy if you have really faced this.

  6. Just saw the morning news and the big issue is tourists not respecting or perhaps it’s not being made clear on expected
    mask and social distancing protocols…..my take is it’s a mix of weak communication by the state and some
    tourists that are in fact disrespectful to the fact that the state wants to protect its self as best it can with a multi layer approach.
    We want tourists that have been tested and back that up with masks when appropriate and common sense social distancing.
    Sorry, no luau’s for awhile!
    So sad this has been so politicized at all levels. All Hawaii has to do is set up a good testing program, keep the mask and social distancing message going and we would be in a great position to get through this as well as possible.
    Nothing is going to be 100% full proof, you cannot totally eliminate the conspiracy nuts and some people just don’t care about anyone but themselves…….it’s up to the rest of us.
    Aloha to all

    1. Hey John, Maybe we should segregate the tourist from the Hawaiians. The tourist have test negative for the COVID virus and the Hawaiians can spread it. Just like all good liberals blame everyone but yourselves. I have lived in various countries all over this world for over 25 years. I respected all cultures, religions, sacred sites and lands. I have never been disrespected by anyone except in Hawaii. I have picked up trash thrown on the ground by local teenagers, asked for money by locals driving Cadillac’s. I accepted these things and never said anything. Here I read how much the people of Hawaii dislike tourist. Well, you don’t have to worry about this person returning to Hawaii. I’ll return to Fiji, the Cook Islands, Tahiti and other islands but never again to Hawaii. Maybe when more places close and more Hawaiians are out of work your attitude toward other people will change.

  7. I’m a really respectful tourist everywhere I go and my first time in Hawaii will be no exception. I just don’t know if this should be my first experience in Hawaii. Whether Covid-19 is a hoax or not, the psychological effect has taken its hold on us all. My first thought is this… Many will not come to Kauai, so that means as a tourist I have the island to explore without the crowds. Or the island will be flooded with tourists and after 7-months and the locals won’t be ready and it could be an uncomfortable situation for all. Let’s say that for some reason my neck of the woods became tourist central… How would I feel during this “unprecedented time”. Sadly my first answer tells me I should stay home. I’m scheduled for that pretest in less than 12-hours time and flying potentially Thursday. I wish I could say I was excited about this, our honeymoon, but I’m have more trepidations than anything.

    Respectfully,

    One newly-wedded dude in Utah

    1. Hi Erik.

      Sorry to hear how you’re feeling. Certainly, these are unprecedented times, no matter where you are in the world. For what it is worth, our take is you are likely to have a totally wonderful time here, should you decide to come. Let us know. And congratulations!

      Aloha.

  8. I have never experienced any kind of hostility in my 4 visits to the islands (Maui, Hawaii, Oahu). I could probably pass as a local, but I grew up in California and attended public schools with every kind of people imaginable, including Hawaiians, Tongans, and Samoans. When I was 14 I was privileged to stay with my friend’s Hawaiian family in Honolulu for a month. My advice is just be respectful to people, slow down, accept that things are done differently than where you’re from. Be thankful and polite, smile and treat the land with respect. You will get back what you give.

  9. I just want to say I’ve visited much of florida and the gulf coast including mexico but for me nothing is better than Oahu and I’ve never seen other tourists show anything but respect for Hawaii.🇱🇷

  10. I just want to say to say I’ve visited much of florida and the gulf coast including mexico but for me nothing is better than Oahu and I’ve never seen other tourists show anything but respect for Hawaii .

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