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Home » Blog » Hawaii Travel Tips » Maui Won’t Stop New Hotels While Honolulu Looks At Visitor Curbs
Chicago>>>Honolulu.
We love Hawaii but will probably go to other tropical destinations.its gotten crowded over the years.i feel for local residents but local people have really become poor stewards of their own environment the amount of trash burned out vehicles and lack of care by the community is frankly disappointing. If folks can’t take pride in the islands then the tourism problem will solve itself
Aloha,
I just got back from 10 days in Waikiki and I had last been on Oahu in the late 80s/early 90s. Wow, what a difference!
In the 80s, I strolled into Hanauma Bay on a whim, was alone atop Diamonhead and was amazed how empty the beaches were.
Luckily, this time I did book several things in advance, but I was surprised by the lines and everything being booked up. Every morning breakfast was like a scene from Hunger Games due to the lines.
The Hanauma Bay reservations may be a good idea, but the system is buggy. Other places seem to be hit or miss, like Diamondhead. We sat in the waiting line to park, but just a few minutes.
Hawaii is becoming like Disneyworld imo. It’s on everybody’s buckelist or favorite place to go. Therefore, I think, like Disneyworld, access is going to need to be limited to reflect Hawaii’s limited size.
If people can be warned in advance they need passes for these popular attractions, they can plan around that. That’s better than arriving unaware and being frustrated they can’t visit popular sites – or eat breakfast.
There is pent up demand for a vacation as Hawaii is safer than most places (covid) and it is located in the United States. The problem is that restaurants are still on limited capacity and a majority of restaurants have outdoor seating. The other issue is rental cars. I believe a lot of the rental cars were shipped out of state while Hawaii was shut down by Inge from March-October 2020. Then you add the auto chip shortage and you have a downright shortage. More people coming with less cars and less availability seating for restaurants creates a lot of frustration. We have both family over there and a place of our own which we rent out. We have informed renters, to make reservations as early as possible like a few months ahead. It seems doable if you are ahead of the game and can make your reservations. Renting a car for a week for $2k plus is outrageous. Uber and lyft drivers are very minimal on Maui. Sometimes you can get one, and sometimes you can’t. There are taxis which have helped. Not sure what the answer is to the overcrowding but we have been in Oct, Nov, Dec, and a few times in 2021. 2021 is the busiest I have ever seen it. We mostly go to Maui, so maybe they need a visitor tax to improve the infrastructure like building a two lane highway from the airport to Lahaina area. The car situation will correct itself eventually but the limitation on dining can be fixed by the governor. Happy and safe travels everyone.
I like to compare Honolulu to LA on a rock. I don’t go there. However I have a good friend who is in love with Honolulu and what it has to offer, they go there two three times a year and have done so for over twenty years. I guess to each his own.
Aloha Guys
Being from the Midwest, I compare Honolulu to Chicago but with awesome weather.
As an annual visitor to Kauai, my fear is that by imposing visitor “restrictions” will mean raising prices so only the uber rich will be able to enjoy the Islands. Cracking down on illegal rentals is a must – not fair to those that are following the rules. As one that has sat in traffic around Kaapa several times, our discussion has focused about a needed moratorium on new hotels/condos. No matter the island, there is limited infrastructure, so limiting housing seems to be a good place to start. We have not yet been to Kauai since the limits on visiting Haena, but think it was a long time coming. I am not looking forward to paying to park to go to Poipu Beach or Waimea Canyon, but hoping they will offer a weekly/monthly pass so we could pay once and be done. Looking forward to getting back to Kauai in December!! Mahalo for all the information you provide.
My first exposure to Hawaii was in 1965 as a 21-year-old Marine transiting home to the Mainland from Japan. Have visited here at least 30 times since then. My family is here right now – we arrived on July 8 and head home to SoCal on July 29.
I am feeling very unwelcome here by the governor and some others. He needs to look at a map – Hawaii is close to nothing and it depends on tourism and the military. Without that the people of Hawaii will suffer great financial harm. I know, with their attitude, my family is seriously considering going to more welcoming places in the future.
I predict more Hawaiians moving to the Mainland to find work if the Governor has his way.
6 months later, it is happening, and they are leaving in droves, right out of high school.
So, the Maui locals dislike tourists (sometimes for good reasons, sometimes not), yet more hotels can be built? Something doesn’t make sense.
Ben Franklin said that the people get the gov’t that they deserve. Maui clearly deserves its bad housing problem for locals and natives since they continue electing people who represent the landed, wealthy interests, and not those of the common folk. This is why i find it hard to empathize with many of the island’s problems – they’re self-inflicted much of the time. Start with some reasonable zoning restrictions to ensure that more affordable housing is built, and slot restrict Kahalui Airport as many airports on the mainland are (there’s a drawn out process for this, but its attainable) to limit the number of tourists to more manageable and sustainable numbers. Move on from there. Then, we’ll see.
Until then, Maui is truly getting what it deserves – Maui is getting what its electing, election after election after election after election…
Thanks patty, these are pervasive issues with all of hawaii. Like you said, tourists are good and bad but thats anywhere.
With Hawaii, some locals have a pre concieved expectation of how tourists should behave, where they should stay. It seems like Hawaii could manage tourism much better. Part of it is the culture with slow way of doing things and putting off till tomorrow.
Another problem hawaii has is that it is expensive. Innovation is stifled and young people need affordable housing snd better paying jobs so they move to the mainland.
Aloha, I wish someone had an answer to the problems that Hawaii is facing. I understand how the residents of Hawaii feel about overcrowding and over use of their precious land. My husband and I were very concerned when we noticed the effects that tourism was having on Kauai when we were there in 2018. So I am very concerned about what it is like now. I don’t believe Kauai should be building more hotels as I agree with others that I like the country settings. (Don’t get me wrong, I also like to shop.) But when I wake up in the morning, I want to hear the waves and nature sounds, not cars honking and people yelling. That’s why we loved Kauai so, because of it’s quieter and more untouched land! If I wanted city life, I’d go to Oahu. I know Kauai and other islands depend on tourism, but there does have to be a happy medium. The mainland is experiencing the same problems with immigrants going there. If people can’t find a place to stay, they won’t go to Hawaii or they will go at a different time when they can find accommodations. I’ll continue to pray that you find an answer to your dilemma soon. Mahalo!
Why not have the state hol an auction to win limited number of tourist permits. Then, all the hotels except one on each island could be torn down to make room for the unemployment and bread lines that will follow. No non-residents would be allowed to rent cars but the hotel on each island would be allowed two charter busses each day to take tourists to grocery stores as most of the restaurants will have closed or converted to sop kitchens for the unemployed.
Finally, all those vacant store fronts and the vacant factories where commercial businesses that make tourist oriented purchases, store and distribute food, wah linens for the now converted hotels and repair and service car rentals canbe converted to low or no income housing for the folks who don’t like tourism. That will likely include some former tour escorts like John DeFries who currently heads HTA.
OR, county governments could start widening roads, get rid of single lane bridges, and create some parking spaces.
This current boom is very temporary. Higher prices, the realization that the relief checks are ending, and people going back to work will slow the rush. If some politicians’ plans to raise taxes are enacted, tourism might just return to Covid quarantine levels. Then, some folks will be happy and many more will be miserable.
Great reporting by BOH. Your articles are always interesting, thought-provoking and unlike the mainstream media, you don’t take sides. Whenever I see you on my e-mail page I immediately click on it. Mahalo
Hi Curtis.
Thanks so much for that! We appreciate your 100 comments and your kindness.
Aloha.