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”
It’s becoming laughable. Why anyone goes there now is beyond me. I just went to St Lucia. Friendly peopke. Great beaches. I’d much rather go there…
Yes, go there!! Go anywhere, just not Hawaii. The gentrification of the culture is bad enough without being over-run by tourists literally at every single turn. Go somewhere new, somewhere the locals aren’t already frustrated and defensive. You’d be angry too if your home were being exploited & destroyed by entitled strangers.
Exploited? Who’s doing the exploiting? The tourists? LOL.. I’m pretty sure it’s the people holding the purse strings in HI.
You act like you are the only ones that deal with tourists clogging their streets beaches and restaurants…grow up a little bit.
Laura,
Not all of us “entitled” tourists are the same. I am also from a high tourists area. With out them we don’t make the money we Ll need to live. Maybe we should take your advise and go elsewhere, I will just support you on welfare with my taxes.
I oppose the $30 flat rate parking idea. This flat rate parking fee will encourage people to park all day which I suspect will not solve the congestion at the beaches. I would suggest that 1) locals get a free parking pass each month that’s good for some number of hours beach parking. And 2) that for an additional cost each rental agreement can include such a parking pass for x hours of parking for a week. Use the additional revenue to enhance beach parking. There needs to be a balance here between locals and tourists. If the costs continue to rise for tourists fewer people will come, but the local economy will suffer. Ultimately, Maui’s economy needs to diversify or this battle of locals vs tourists will persist.
We’ve owned a condo across from Kam 3 for 20 years. We’ve paid property,TAT, GET and income taxes the whole time. We also own a car here and so pay the annual DMV fees. Before Covid, Maui used to issue us a residence aka Kamaina card. With the advent of the “star id “ they no longer do so. We know people from other states that issue nonstar IDs drivers licenses and so they are able to get the star ID Resident card here but in reality are citizens of their other state.
So for practical purpose, we are residents of Maui but get absolutely none of the benefits.
If you’re talking about how you pay TAT and GET, I assume the income taxes you are speaking of is the income you make off renting that condo out short term. That doesn’t make you a resident. Unless you actually lived in that condo and paid all income taxes in the state of Hawaii, not just the income off your rental, you are not a resident and should have never had a Hawaii ID.
Anyone who owns property in Hawai’i is considered a resident for tax purposes, although the tax rate changes when you are a part-time resident vs. permanent resident. The parking law has not been passed yet but I suspect when it is, it will accommodate part time residents.
Let’s charge more to import everything to Maui… When Hawaiian residents come to the mainland,let’s surcharge them at hospitals, food establishments, etc… it should work both ways. Does Texas charge more for the snowbirds every winter…? Of course not, they are welcomed…
I’ve been on Maui for close to 40 years and raised 2 keiki. I don’t like this….it’s a terrible idea! Thank god I can walk to a beach (north Kihei ). That beach will be taken over soon with the huge timeshare at the former Maui Lu! 🌺
Since we usually do short beach (1 hour) trips for a morning snorkel or swim, I’d be inclined to either find street parking and walk a ways to the destination or go to a beach with cheaper or no parking fees. This will free parking at the lot, but impact parking elsewhere. If I’m paying $30, I’ll be planning on making it a full day at the beach.
Here is an easier solution, although it does not necessarily deter parking congestion, but it raises revenue for the county:
All rental companies will add $ 2 per day for each rental vehicle.
The rental revenue is earmarked for beach and street maintenance. There are around 1,000 cars rented per day on Maui. That would generate approx. $2K per day – almost $750,000 annually. Managed properly, that would create a revenue stream to support more jobs and cleaner areas.
Granted, congestion is not relieved, but….
Are you kidding? Rental cars are high enough! On the off chance we go to Maui again (showing Ohana around) it will be for Haleakala and Lahaina Town, Not for the beaches! Leave the rental cars alone. They’re expensive enough already.
Obviously you haven’t rented in Maui recently. On 605$ rental I’m paying 372.00 for the rental,and 233.00 for State and local tax’s and fees. Not to mention the 18% tax on my room. So tourist are paying their fair share and then some. But don’t worry the coming depression will solve the crowded parking issue.
While I understand the theory behind this, as a visitor to Maui for many years, I am incensed with the idea of this daily fee of $30. That is much too high. Perhaps it is time to take my tourist dollars completely elsewhere.
OK, Go elsewhere. Our official island plan was to have average tourism population to be no more than 30% of resident population. It is currently 45% which is way too high. We want it back to 30%. If it were at or below 30%, residents would not complain about parking and there likely would be no special fee for tourists anyway.
Love the paid parking for visitors, I think we should also add additional fee’s for just flying into Maui to begin with including additional taxes on visitors accommodations and rental car fee’s. Add an additional $50 per night and $50 per day rental charge that way maui county can at least make more money from All theses tourists!
Wow. Just wow. You are aware these exorbitant fees already exist & Have been massively increased recently? Unbelievable.
If there was a quick and easy way to get to West Maui and South Maui after shopping at Costco, I wouldn’t even rent a car, I would only use Uber, buses. and taxis to get to beaches.