Maui has great resorts and an improved airport with the most flights (including widebody) to Hawaii other than Honolulu. But now it has clearly become too much of a good thing. So what happens next?
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306 thoughts on “Maui Visitors and Residents Square Off Starting Here”
I live in So Cal A trip to Huntington or Newport Beach requires a parking fee for everybody who uses the beach. Why should Maui residents be treated so special. They choose to live in a very expensive zip code Enough slamming on the tourists
Do not enter please. Thank you.
Well you definitely don’t have the aloha spirit.
I’m sure you respect our cities when you come out with that attitude
In the past few years tourism has gotten out of control, along with people from other states buying out the properties for investment. While this is only a bandaid to the problem, it’s at least something. I read comments from people who own properties (some even are short term rentals!) and they think they should be entitled to everything on Maui. It is appalling that residents are stating that they can’t even go to places like Lahaina or Paia or to many beach parks because they are overcrowded and people who live out of state complain because they think their taxes paid on their investment property should give them a free pass. Many residents can’t afford rent let alone to buy a second property they can rent out for profits.
Think about the following:Ultimately after 1000 plus residences,/apartments are constructed close to Wailea, Maui’s roads and infrastructure for many will be unbearable.
The traffic just “sits now, during peak hours on Piilani highway.
Might we end up with parking lots serviced by beach shuttles in order to enjoy our beaches?
That is where we are headed!
My family will not be returning to Hawaii. A tax is a tax is a tax. Another bureaurcracy is born and will result in more state employee’s being paid way to much money and huge retirement obligations.
This is a tough one, I understand the feelings of locals. But, not all of us that come to Maui are as rich as the locals think. We don’t all have unlimited funds. Alot of us save up for many years in order to come to the Islands and in a 10 day to two week visit, that much for parking can add up fast.If you are going to have paid parking are you also going to have lot security?
As a visitor from a state that suffers from over infestation of tourism in our parks…. I say, it’s really great plan. Generate revenue for upkeep. Save the reefs!
We scrimp and save to come to Maui and will not pay extra for parking.
There are plenty of other vacation sites to visit. It is becoming evident that Maui does not want visitors as they must have enough money without us here.
Shame to see all the homelessness here. We can stay home to see this.
Love Hawaii, will not continue to feel unwelcome
Managing tourism with parking fees, and reservation systems are band-aids. They don’t deal with the real problem of “Over-Tourism.” There simply are too many visitors. We need to find a way to limit the amount of people coming here. Limiting rental cars; strict enforcement of illegal vacation rentals; heavy taxes for legal vacation rentals to encourage them to be converted to long-term rentals for residents; no public funds to advertise Hawaii tourism…………and anything else to limit tourism.
Good idea, stop tourists and build up your other major industry…oh wait you don’t have one! Better carry on gouging tourists just stop whining about it.
What do Mauians think will happen at parking lots (eg. shopping areas) close to paid beach parking? Everyone is going to be looking for free parking and that means shopping area lots. This whole issue is creating a toxic mentality that tourists are inherently bad. Like it or not, tourism is Hawaii’s main income source, but for most of us, our pockets are not bottomless and forcing us to pay extortionate fees for a trip to the beach is going to backfire. We live in an area that is overrun with tourists, but we don’t single them out with unreasonable fees. Everyone pays the same fees. We have been coming to Maui every year for the last 30 years, but we’ve heard the message and we won’t be back. But that’s what you wanted, wasn’t it?
Well said Marian!! We live in SoCal at the beach and Everyone pays for beach parking- us included. If these locals are so concerned they should have no problem putting their money where their mouth is. Any money paid could be going to maintenance for the area and perhaps parking expansion, right? So why should only the tourists pay? That’s discriminative and without tourist Maui would lose one of their main sources of income.
This is not about money, it is about getting our island back for those of us who live here. Politicians won’t do the hard stuff of putting the brakes on tourism so they come up with little bandaids like this. Personally I could care less if tourists get angry and don’t come back.
Most short sighed reply yet! Tourism is the only economy in Hawaii. Hand that feeds you and all that…
Last week you ran an article that said there weren’t enough tourists in Hawaii. This week your article tells us that Maui tourists will be charged $30.00 for beach parking. Maybe its just me, but does anyone else see a correlation? We live near a tourist/beach community (Hilton Head Island) Everyone pays for metered parking, by the hour, for beach access. The bathrooms, showers, boardwalks, etc. are well maintained & clean. Everyone who uses the beach pays. Only seems fair.