For now, Maui’s great tourism reset is leaving no one fully satisfied. Visitors feel pushed away. Residents feel priced out. And the hard truth is, both might be right.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
Leave a Comment
155 thoughts on “Maui Tourism Crisis Exposes Hawaii’s Brutal Catch-22”
Pulelehua, a 1,000-unit development planned for years above Kapalua Airport, was expected to help address the post-fire housing crisis. The project has secured land, funding, and community support. What it doesn’t have is adequate water to continue the development, according to Maui County. I’m sure the water supply issue is complicated. Maybe we should focus on solving this issue rather than risk losing millions of tax dollars and thousands of jobs by continuing to push the STR ban. Just a thought
My family used to have a condo in Kihei, and we spent nearly every summer, spring, and Christmas break on Maui. I now live on Oahu. My brother is coming to Maui and I decided I would fly over and meet him for a few days. It is costing me $1400 for three nights at the Days Inn, a rental car, and round trip tickets from Honolulu. That is Nuts. My wife and I used to be able to spend less than that for both of us for a week’s stay in a condo, including airfare for two from California. Popping over to another island for a little getaway is a thing of the past.
Yes, I’m afraid you’re right. The world runs on principles of supply and demand, and these days, demand for desirable locales has driven up prices in those locales past what most people can afford.
We need more affordable and mid-level housing neighborhoods. Hawaii and other areas in the US are slowly becoming like other parts of the world, where you only have the rich and the poor, posh resorts surrounded by poverty, and no middle-class at all. We haven’t gotten there yet, but we are headed that way.
Was that a decade ago? You can’t do that in Calif. or very few places on the mainland. Be real. It is expensive everywhere. Visitors were still coming to Maui & paying what it costs, just like they do at California beaches or any other tourist area. It is as if this opened up a forum to complain about how expensive it is. If you can’;t afford to do something, save up or don’t do it. The issue is with our politicians & media making visitors feel unwelcome by All residents. This is a lie. We are ashamed of our politicians & doing our best to let visitors know that we appreciate & need them. We are fighting against added taxes & fees. Please don’t judge all of us for the stupidity of a small group.
People will still come ….much less people, IE for the very wealthy only…they will pay a much higher rent to come and pay more for everything while they are there, while only locals should be allowed to own and operate the business’s, and receive non profit tax breaks …all taxes should be added to the customer/visitors tab ….No tolerance to the islanders getting pushed out of their own land
Yeah, that’s being felt all over the country. People are getting “pushed out of their own land” in San Francisco, LA, NYC, most ski and beach resort towns…basically anywhere desirable in the country and even the world. It would be nice if they could stay and have all the rich people pay all of their taxes, as you suggest should be the case. Alas…that is but a pipe dream…
And that attitude is what got you into this place. You got hooked on free money for nothing during the pandemic. That won’t ever happen again.
Going to Maui next month hope I can be respectful of the locals and still have a fun vacation
Be respectful of the land, be grateful and kind, smile, tip well … ya know, be a good human. Maui is magical.
Respect is a two way street. We stay in Timeshares that we were lucky to get for nothing and we always buy local and eat local. Groceries at Napili Market and eating at small pubs and restaurants. A favorite is Tasty Crust. Sadly I was treated very rudely at Napili Grocery twice last trip. One was me asking a worker where something was and he totally ignored me twice. I have had several local stores treat me in a rude manner or just simply ignore me in the last 2 visits. This never happened before. Tasty Crust staff are great though. Respect gets respect.
Yeah I grew up in the islands. I got priced out a long time ago and now live on the mainland. I love hawaii, but way too expensive to vacation there. With the money I spend in Hawaii, I can fully upgrade my vacation in Mexico with much cheaper and shorter flight times. And the food and people are great. It is a shame. But worth it
You will be fine. Just be a normal, considerate person.
Sometimes there is overblown drama online, and it can be misleading. The vast majority of people on the islands (and everywhere) are nice. There are just a smattering of keyboard warriors with nothing better to do than project their misery onto others. I doubt you will actually encounter any of these people when you come, because they will be sitting indoors, on their couches, typing away, out of sight and mind.
Aloha Jon, You will love it. I ask visitors every day how their stay is and I thank them for coming. They tell me they are having a wonderful time even though the media had them worried. Very few have experienced the rudeness or lack of aloha that has been publicized. I admit it is expensive right now. Our costs have gone up and with tourism down vendors and restaurants have had to choose between closing down or raising prices and riding this out. We thank you and appreciate you! There is no other place like Maui. Enjoy your visit.
They don’t want you, but they want your money. Skip it and go to the Philippines. Cheaper and way friendlier. I repeat, they don’t want you there. I lived there for eight years. Believe me.
I just read an article recently where a developer had cleared the land in west Maui for mixed use development that would just about solve the housing crisis. Problem is the government won’t give them a permit for the water wells they’ve drilled. If they’d just cut the red tape, the housing problem could be solved
There are no proposed developments to replace 7000 homes. There is a lot of building going on, projects are being fast tracked.
I believe the number of homes and other structures lost was around 2,000, not 7,000.
I have vacationed in Maui and Oahu at least 15 times even during covid. I have found the true aloha spirit has always been alive by all the native people I have met, as long as you show them the respect they deserve. I have stopped going because of the extreme costs that have incurred to visit over the past 5 years. I was privileged to visit the MAC and see Willie K perform, privileged to scuba all of the islands and privileged to experience the culture of the people of Hawaii. It is a shame political and monetary influences are destroying this.
As a native hawaiian I was raised on the island of Oahu I can no longer return to the same town haleiwa where I lived it’s just way too expensive for me to go back.beaches that I used To go to some of them on the islands are now gated communities where my ancestors used to go fishing
is only for the millionaires who can afford these beautiful beaches.we have just a few beaches thats open to the public so I understand how the tourist feels and the locals that’s living there.they’re are afraid of the increasing price’s to live there. I think that the majority of the local people feels threatened that one day they have to leave. Maybe it’s the state that wants this.
Maui will always welcome visitors like you. Maybe not so much the ultra entitiled visitors that think everything revolves around them. I think Maui is largely better off without the complainers in this comment thread. Let them find another destination to be unhappy about. People with your attitude have a consistantly great experience and that is why they keep coming back. We welcome them back!!!!!! Come back soon!
Three days ago the new CEO of Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, Aaron Sala, doubled down on the anti-tourism sentiment saying, “The traditional model is not just outdated, it is extractive, colonial, dangerously romantic.” To me, that sounds like the guy in charge is more concerned about feelings (and maybe politics) than economic realities. It also sounds like he’s making excuses for the sharp decline in tourists, suggesting that’s exactly what Hawaii wants and needs when we all know that Hawaii needs tourism to create and maintain jobs. Aaron Sala will find out. Just give him some time.
Ha, ha, ha …… what does the following statement have to do with hating tourist? ““The traditional model is not just outdated, it is extractive, colonial, dangerously romantic.”
The pragmatic reality is that the visitor numbers prior to Covid were beyond the carring capacity of the island given the present infrustrue. After the fire, we lost 7000 homes that has put the local economy into a crisis. The truth is, while numbers are down, revenues are up. The level of entitlement demonstrated in your comment speaks for itself. Blaming goverment is absurd. This is a Capitalism problem. Multi billion dollar Land Holding Companies control 90% of the buildable land on Maui, the they the Capital, they have the (Stolen)Land, and they have the Capcity to solve the housing problem. The Real Estate Agencies that created the problem, show no Leadership or Vision, they blame thier problem on government and do nothing.
Developers build if they can make the numbers work. That’s the way any type of building is accomplished. For years, the government prevented the numbers from working by requiring a ratio of affordable housing per development that was so high that developers were forced to not build at all. Developers are not charities, after all.
Recently, the government reinstated a more realistic ratio, and now, as we speak, a Lot more affordable housing is being built, more than has been built in decades.
It’s a combination of developer incentives and governmental subsidies that will allow affordable housing to be built. The government most certainly plays a part in the success of this, and will continue to do so.
I must say that this is the first time I’ve seen real estate agents blamed for the housing shortage. Real estate agents sell what’s available at a price dictated by market forces. It is their obligation, as well as the extent of their control.
With all due respect, the devopers you are talking about are not the devopers that matter. Alexander & Baldwin, Maui Land and Pineapple don’t need anything from the government, they own the government, they can get whatever they want, they own all the (stolen)land, and they are owned by private equity companies like BlackRock. The only thing holding these companies back is greed
Here is answer to every question.
Who keeps voting for the same one party?
Less competition means higher prices and more corruption.
We have been vacationing in Maui since the 1990s & began staying in STRs around 1995. Hotels were too expensive and we preferred finding locally owned restaurants to frequent. If STRs are no longer available, we will just go to Cabo instead. Same warm, sunny weather and they want us there
As a regular visitor to Maui for 30+ years, my heart breaks for so many locals who are stuck with Bissen and completely incompetent leadership, who failed for the last 3 decades to build affordable housing, and instead tried to scapegoat STR owners for creating the crisis. They have now substantially dragged down both the economy and tax revenues, hurting their local residents most of all. A collaborative approach to tourism and the expedited development of workforce housing is the only real solution. It’s achievable with good leadership, but instead they choose to divide the community with falsehoods and scapegoating instead of positive action.
I my opinion, it is absurd to blame the Government for the lack of Affordable Housing on Maui, when 90% of the buildable land is owned and controlled by massive Capitalist Land Holding companies. The United States in not a Socialist Country. The shortagle of housing is a result of problems with Capitalism, not with Government. These are billion dollar real estate deveopment companies right here on Maui and they are doing Nothing for affordable housing. Notice that the Real Estate Companies that complain about enforcement of zoning laws by the government are also not coming forward with a Capitalist Solution. Instead, they just want to blame government for their lack of leadership and their lack of vision on solving a critical problem.
I’m a resident of Lahaina, and what we went through on 8/8 was nothing short of hell. We lost our homes, our businesses, our community—and now, the decisions being made by the mayor and his alliance with hotel interests are compounding that tragedy. It feels like they’re putting the final nail in the coffin for many of us who’ve been trying to rebuild and survive.
The mayor has handed a very loud microphone to a very small group of individuals who claim to speak for “the people,” but in reality, they represent only themselves. Their views are regressive, their priorities self-serving, and their rhetoric has done nothing but divide this island. Instead of unity and healing, we’re witnessing finger-pointing, anti-visitor sentiment, and policies that drive awa
I lost my home as well in the fire. I agree with you on the divisions.
In my view, both sides are to blame. Notice that the Big Land Holding Companies are not proving leadership or solutiuons. Notice that the vocal Real Esate Companies that blame everything on the goverment, are not coming forward with Leadership or Solutions, and these are the people that caused the problem in the first place. Government is not going to solve the housing shortage on Maui, America is not a Socialist Country. We need leadership from the Real Estate Industry and the Land Holding Companies to solve this problem. They have the resources, they have the land, they have the capcity. The only thing holding them back is Greed. .
We have made 7 trips to Hawaii in the last 25 years, all to timeshare and rental properties. Lahaina was a favorite for two of the trips and what has happened there to the businesses and residents who owned property, and those who died needlessly in the fire is terrible beyond belief. The big brother government of Hawaii has taken much away and given back so little.
I Have vacationed in Maui a dozen times. Never had a bad experience. Never stayed at one of the targeted properties. Never a fan of extra cost added,fees or tax. However instead of changing the rental landscape have rental units pay a % to the state for residential development for Hawaiian,s This would promote tourism, increase tax revenue and over time solve a housing shortage. I think most vacationers to Maui understand the issue. Maui is worth it.
They already pay excessive Taxes a way higher than normal residents.
I’m surprised you’ve never stayed in a vacation rental outside the resorts, especially if you are concerned about cost. A short term condo rental (STR) is about half what you pay at a resort, with less fees, not more. Tax rates are the same for both.
The problem will not be solved with yet another tax added to your stay, but with the responsible development of work force housing which has been sadly neglected for decades.
The STR’s will never be affordable housing. They were not built for that purpose and they are incredibly expensive to maintain.
I simply wish tourists Truly respected the island and the people. It is a precious place. I could not ever repay Hawaii for all that it’s given me.
I feel like I should stay away and just let the island and people breathe in the blessing that this problem is not bigger than God.
Aloha- We love you
The mayor should simply ban all tourists but ask that they send the money anyway or at least spend their time on Maui performing community service and apologizing for being from the mainland. Those funds can be given to restaurant workers and artists in their pursuit of enlightenment. The mayor can send the message of virtue.
Yes, the messaging seems to be, “rich people / mainlanders suck and we want them out of our real estate market, but please bring us the rich people who will support our economy. But make sure they don’t like it so much that they want to buy real estate here.” While the anti-greed messaging is strong from the local objectors, they certainly argue from a point of….greed.
This is sad. My family were yearly visitors to Maui, and even called Maui home for a period of time. Maui needs tourism and they need affordable housing, but the local government is always trying to regulate their way into solutions instead of working with businesses.
STRs are a better product for family travelers. Staying in a hotel with a family of 4-5 for 1-2 weeks is terrible. Most STR owners are mom & pop owners just trying to make a little extra for their family. If the local government would incentivize hotel chains to make the majority of rooms 2-3 invectives bedroom units then STR demand would drop, and housing might be a little more affordable. If they incentivized residential developers and lowered regulation there would be more supply and it would be more affordable. You can’t fix this by regulations, work with business.
The problem has nothing to do with regulations and incentives. The problem is that all 95% of the buildable land is owned by a handful of land holding companies that are artifacts of Missionary Families that overthrew the Sovereign Kingdom of Hawaii to steal the land from the Hawaiians. These land-holding companies are now primarily controlled by private equity companies like BlackRock, and they own virtually all the important infrastructure in Hawaii.
There are a number of possible solutions that don’t require making it binary – one winner and one loser. Unfortunately, as history has demonstrated, the use of a scapegoat is the quickest and easiest way to rally a group behind your cause. Imagine if Lahaina Strong et al would have aligned themselves with STR owners in order to form a coalition that could use STR revenues to advance their agenda, which includes more housing for locals, halt or slow future development, and to help cultivate a more respectful kind of tourist.
Instead, the chickens decided to let the coyote into the henhouse.
Maui is simply removing exemptions from zoning laws that were granted over three decades ago. No one is being scapegoated. There are tourist destinations all over the world that are doing the exact same thing. Having Vacation Rentals in buildings zoned as residential has caused market distortions in tourist communities around the world.
There are plenty of accommodations in properties zoned for tourism. Sometimes investors need to make changes to their investment portfolio. No one is having anything taken away from them. The owners of these properties have done very well at the expense of locals trying to afford housing.
No, it’s not so simple. Bissen by his own recent reports acknowledges that only 2,000 of the 7,000 Minatoya list units are suitable for housing, so the other 5k have been scapegoated, and used as a means to deflect the real failure on the local govt’s part to build affordable housing, even when there were funds available. And it’s a gross oversimplification when you say that “Sometimes investors need to make changes to their investment portfolio. No one is having anything taken away from them. The owners of these properties have done very well at the expense of locals trying to afford housing.” What about the retirees that spent their entire life savings to buy a unit in The Palms or Kapalua Golf Villas – both properties on the list, but clearly not intended for anything other than tourist accommodations – in 2020 at a premium, only to find now that their ability to rent may be taken away and they face huge losses? This is not a simple issue, so don’t grossly oversimplify it.
This is not an accurate portrayal. Bissen just admitted that it is more like 2,000 not 7,000 STR’s that should be recalled. And he’s using all STR owners as scapegoats to deflect the blame away from the real problem – that they shouldn’t have been building affordable housing for the past several decades and didn’t.
To say “investors must sometimes rebalance their portfolios” and that “they’ve done very well at the expense of locals” is a gross simplification. What about the retirees who saved up their entire lives to afford to buy a property in Maui, made an expensive purchase in 2021 in a building that was only ever intended for tourism but happens to be on the Minatoya list, and now has their entire life savings threatened??
No, that’s factually incorrect. The “Minatoya List” of condos, initially grandfathered for short-term rentals, has in fact been codified into law multiple times. The initial (2001) legal opinion by Richard Minatoya was followed by Ordinance No. 4167 in 2014, which specifically codified the allowance for pre-1989 structures to operate as transient vacation rentals (TVRs) in apartment districts. Subsequent ordinances, including 5126 (2020), 5301 (2021), 5473 (2022), and 5502 (2023), introduced additional requirements for qualifying for this exception. In 2015, Mayor Arakawa and the County Council also passed a law that formally codified the Minatoya List.
Formally. Codified.
Essentially, the Minatoya List and its grandfathering of condos for short-term rentals on Maui has been enshrined in law several times, not just once, through ordinances and legal opinions.
“No one is having anything taken away from them.”
Yes, owners of short-term rentals are losing the property rights upon which a major business decision was made. They are being willfully deprived of earning income on a property many of the mortgages were conditional upon. Some may lose these properties, some may lose their retirement nest egg, and some may lose the seed they planted on the island that was going to grow into a retirement tree. So, treating these people as though this is a small adjustment to their portfolio is not only insensitive, it displays wholesale and wonton disregard for the people behind the property. Perfect segue; to the next comment box…
“The owners of these properties have done very well at the expense of locals trying to afford housing.”
But nothing owners of short term rental have done vis a vis those short-term properties comes “at the expense of locals trying to afford housing.”
A Porsche dealership doesn’t drive up the cost of vehicles, many variables relating to buying, owning, selling Porches will be the drivers behind the cost of a Porsche. But those variations at Porsche don’t impact Ford vehicle prices. Both companies sell cars, but they aren’t the same class of vehicle so the nuances between the brands are apples and oranges.
Pre-Minatoya, locals were free to buy these condos, but they didn’t. No one, from Bissen, through Lahaina Strong and down have ever provided evidence that any, much less a majority, of these condos were once residential housing stock.
Locals didn’t buy them and didn’t live in them because they were a) prohibitively expensive, b) were marketed as vacation properties, c) weren’t in residential neighborhoods.
So this idea that anything was done “at the expense of locals” is patently false. No new STR complexes have been built in decades, and the Minatoya condos have operated as vacation rentals for many decades more.
I’ve been on Maui and in the weeds of real estate long enough to have seen hundreds of Minatoya condos change hands, and seen periods where many were hundreds of days on market – they became stale by the time a buyer was found. And they weren’t local. With many of these allegedly “residential” condos now available at a 30% discount, I’m sure you can explain their 400+ days on market.
Well, from what I understand.
There was some property that was illegally purchased in the area of Spacklesville, That belonged to the Hawaiian’s handed down from one generation to the next. Just because there was no deed. Doesn’t mean it’s for sale or to be claimed.
So the land was purchased and local hawaiians were kicked off the property.
And they built Homes From what I understand they bulldozed down The area Exposing this red clay dirt that has. Toxic mineral in it , that’s killed the. Lobsters and crabs. Along With the reefs coral The home Owners in that area think they own the beach , very rude and unfriendly ,hard stare
Not all Them, but most of them, I’m not a local I’m from the mainland and I never see them going around picking up the trash in the area As I do myself , They’re always.
Calling security Because we want access to the beach No parking signs everywhere along stable rd that I understand we’re put up by the homeowners
allow locals to make ends meet with hosted rental, but tax the snowbirds prohibitively so those who live elsewhere will have less profit and be more motivated to sell
That’s the plan? Impose punitive measures against a bunch of retirees? “Force” people to sell a property they purchased lawfully, who operate legal small businesses, who pay the highest real property tax rate in the county, who have guests who generate nearly a billion dollars each year in economic activity, who employ local workers?
How about “build more homes”?
Been to Maui only a couple times. Been to all of the other islands loads of times and have family there. Never felt unwelcomed. But I also don’t do a lot of super overly touristy things… I hike and I snorkel/free dive/bodyboard. I will say there’s some with regards to the impact of pushing away tourists. The impact of not owning investment real estate hasn’t been observed yet, there is an entire generation of Hawaiians that are going to colleges around the US, getting degrees, increasing their earnings power and they will have very little generational wealth earning that would come from owning an investment property, in their home state. I think this is a disservice to locals. If you wanted to actually improve the local economy you would enact laws the limit or prevent foreign investors from reaping all of the rewards of investment properties.
In the United States, there is this little thing called the Constitution. In that document, there is a thing called the 14th Amendment. Mainland owners are not “foreign” owners, they are domestic owners. They are afforded no additional protections nor should they be denied them:
“The Equal Protection Clause, part of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ensures that individuals within a state’s jurisdiction are treated equally under the law. It means those in similar situations should receive the same treatment, preventing discrimination based on race, gender, or other characteristics.”
Will never stay at a hotel for anything beyond a day or two – anywhere. So since prices now are so high across Hawaii (hotels and other), have been choosing other locations. Sad about it – love Hawaii. Used to visit once a year with the whole family. Grown children love it too – also regretfully choosing other destinations. Love it enough that we’d participate in community efforts as a thank you.
Community efforts? I don’t get this. Maui is the only place that Openly guilts their visitors to do community service while they simultaneously spend an average of $300 per person per day.
I don’t know you or the type of person you are, but I think a good rule of thumb is if you’re going to drop $20k on a family vacation, just be kind, considerate and respectful of all things, and you’re good. I’ve traveled though the Canadian Rockies, and people just want you to follow the rules, be kind, respect nature, leave no trace. No one asks that you shovel show for seniors, or plant trees to atone for the sin of being a visitor.
Aloha
I believe the motivation for stopping the short term rentals. Is being pushed by the resorts, they will raise room prices. This will be another devastating act on the island. Fewer visitors less jobs for the people.
They are not stopping short-term rentals. They are mealy addressing the vacation condos that are in buildings that are zone residential. The majority of vacation condos are zoned for tourism
Incorrect. If you disallow half of the legal and lawful short term rentable condo units from offering short term rent, it’s as misleading to say they’ve “stopped” short-term rentals as it is to say it’s business as usual.
In the alleged “addressing” of Vacation condos that are in “apartment” zoning (not residential) is proving to provide nothing more than a fulcrum from which to destroy the economy while also not making available any more accommodations for residents.
Sorry but many on the lists are waterfront resorts that have never been completely residential. Papakea is one. This is very simply a few political people and their appointees pandering to the rich hotels and resorts. Why would they do that? I am sure most can guess the reason.
Several of the sponsors of the UHERO “study” released a couple of weeks ago, surprise surprise, where hotel lobbies and their affiliates. Green and Bissen are very tight with the hotel industry. They know who butters Their bread. So of course this has hotel alliance fingerprints all over it.
We have been to Hawaii many times each year since 2006, visiting Maui, Kauai, Big Island. We love Maui, but with the perception from the mayor and officials that we tourists with our $$ are not welcome, coupled with increased prices for everything including parking all over the islands, we are sadly seriously rethinking our annual Hawaii vacations and probably like many others spending our money in other places until Aloha and sanity come back to to Hawaii.
Bissen and Lahaina Strong think that filling hotels to capacity is the way to fill the chasm left behind after a successful phase out. But hotels have never been at capacity, even when Maui had exceeded their 3:1 visitor to resident ratio. When people have no vacation rental to stay in, the logical next step is not to a hotel – this is what happens when your advisors only speak “olelo hotel”, you think hotels are the answer to every problem. When choice is limited, the limiter of that choice is rarely the solution.
As someone who goes to Maui a couple of times per year and stay in Timeshares primarily which are not affected by STVR’s removal, I feel that many people are not seeing the whole picture. Many people who have owned homes and apartments for as long as 50 years have needed to rent a bit when they are not there in order to pay the high costs of owning. To stop this will probably result in a sale but not to locals as they will be out of reach price wise. So who will buy them ? Richer off shore people who do not need help to have the place. They will unlike current owners not shop at lower level places as the current owners do. They will spend only where the rich go not locally owned stores. Next the question of being welcome on Maui. Until about 3 three years ago I always felt welcome. Now I do not. I have been subject to absolute rudeness on many occasions at small local grocery stores and local shops. All of this coming from the indigenous locals. It has been significant.
The single biggest misconception about the str owners is that they are a monolith – all wealthy, all mainland, all greedy.
Truth is, many have owned these ($1.5M) properties since they were $300k. They are about as wealthy as any small business owner might be with $100k in income and $87k in expenses.
If the government thinks that pinching these people out will bring utopian life to Maui, they are sadly mistaken. That $1.5M condo might end up being worth half that when Bissen is done with it, but at $700k, it’s still grossly overpriced for a local buyer. But it turned a financed buy at $1.5M into a cash sale for many buyers.
When you make decisions based on grievance or based on flawed economic principles, you have a little mini Trump doing little mini Trump things in the north Pacific….leaving nothing but ruin in his wake.
I really wish you would use wording such as “some residents” or “some locals” when stating that visitors are unwelcome or that we want STRs shut down. There is a great many of us; I believe more of us that know fully well that we need tourism to survive and that shutting down STRs is unfair and illegal. When the court cases fly in, you will know how many of us are ready to fight for the right to protect our economy. Limits should have been put in place long ago limiting who relocates to the islands. Housing would already be in place if roadblocks were removed.
You have people like Katie Austin – a 35 year old waitress – came to Maui to offer her stellar waitressing skills to the patrons of Kimos. clearly a job no local could handle. She probably lived in a condo that no local could possibly have lived in.
Her saving grace? Hopping on the Red Shirt Brigade in order to avoid scrutiny as some “mainland haole transplant” that Maui locals love to hate.
Maui is full of wonderful wonderful people. It also has a small but (formerly) influential disaster capitalists who want to call the shots.
You have a waitress, a bartender, a luau dancer, a never-been-a-lawyer type person, and a lifeguard making decisions in a county that has a $1.5 B budget…yeah their life skills and life choices certainly command that kind of influence.
I live on Maui, my income is dependent on tourism. I take issue with the characterization of the mayor’s efforts to discontinue the exemptions for vacation rentals that are on properties that are zoned for residential. There are still many, many options for visitors on properties that were designed and built to cater to tourism. Many tourist destinations in the US and around the world are taking simular measures. Vacation rentals on residential properties are largely responsible for making Maui unaffordable.
The article sounds like it was written by a real estate company. Jobs are not a problem on Maui. Unless something is done about housing, there are not going to be staff to service the tourism industry.
Mahalo Kevin! We need to make our voices heard. The ban should have been against STRS in residential areas not the tourist resorts that have served visitors and provided jobs for decades.
Your comments demonstrate how little you know or understand of the situation. First, the Minatoya condos Were designed and We’re built for tourism. Learn the history of these developments, read their CC&R’s, read their Bylaws, read the development proposals from the 1970’s and 1980’s. The fact that no one who shares your opinion has been able to demonstrate which of these condos were “residential properties” speaks volumes. Nearly 12 months have passed and not a single shred of paper has been produced that validates this claim. I’m sure one or two exist, but the evidence has yet to be produced.
Secondly, if STRs have made Maui so expensive, then why are prices in virtually EVERY location rising? Why can you google “affordability crisis” and a hundred cities pop up? It’s certainly not because of short term rentals that have existed for half a century. Additionally, no new STR complexes have been built in decades, which precedes the “crisis” we’re seeing now.
Building on my previous comments: It also distresses me to read comments such as “locals hate tourists”. I’ve been traveling to Hawaii for more than 30 years, and this has never been my experience, including during my most recent visit (October 2024). We at (Fabiani’s, South Maui Gardens Food Trucks) and shopped (Foodland, Maui Wave Riders) local, and everyone we encountered was welcoming and kind.
Certainly, one may encounter an occasional disgruntled person, but that can happen anywhere, including in your own hometown. This generalization is inaccurate and not helpful. One might need to look inward to determine why this was their experience.
My family traveled to Maui in Nov 2024 and I can confirm that the Hawaiian spirit is declining there. We saw various signs and bumper stickers along the likes of **** the tourists and kick them out. We have visited Oahu several times and didn’t feel that vibe. We also had a local tour guide rush out of his car and verbally assault us at a waterfall and almost started a fight because he said we were driving too slow on the road to Hana and not respecting him. I’m never going back to Maui.
I agree. You can go anywhere and find some negative jerk. You can go anywhere and find a racist….a bigot, a loser who hates anyone and everything. Maui is full of amazing people, with the occasional jerk here and there. But I imagine they feel the same about tourists. Lots of nice ones, a handful of jerks. Welcome to society.
It’s really distressing to me to read some of these comments from folks who, while sitting comfortably in their own homes, seem to think they’re entitled to have the residents of Maui provide them with vacation accommodations.
It’s important to remember that the units on the Minatoya list, when built, are apartment-zoned properties, and were intended to provide workforce housing. Short-sighted past Maui officials, who were overly focused on expanding tourism, and not enough on the long-term housing needs of residents, allowed these units to be used as STVRs. What Mayor Bissen is striving to do is to return these units to their originally intended use, though I’m not sure attempting to do so all at once is the right approach.
It’s also important to remember that there will still be thousands of hotel-zoned units that will continue to serve as STVRs, per the Mayor’s plan.
It is not true that most of the units on the Minatoya list were intended as work force housing. In fact, the Mayor’s recent public statement is 5,000 of the 7,000+ on the list are not suitable for work force housing.
Now the scramble is on, how will the Mayor distinguish the 2,000 that he represents were intended as work force housing. There is plenty of historical evidence to refute the Mayor’s statement. Nevertheless, he will continue his attempt to push a square peg into a round hole. Fortunately, it appears a majority of Council can see the facts, and ready to kill the Mayor’s proposal. Then what? In my opinion it is time to directly implement the difficult measures needed to actually create work force housing. Will they do it? Probably not.
Bissen has no clue. He started with 7100, then said in an interview that he’d consider 500 “a victory”. Then he said 2000, then UHERO said 6127. It’s like watching Powerball. A number comes out, but is never chosen again. This is what happens when waiters and bartenders have you on a 12″ leash.
Incorrect. In order to “return these units to their originally intended use”, they would first have to have been used for that intended use. And since they were never intended as residential properties (which has been verified by looking into the CC&R’s, Bylaws and development submissions from 4 and 5 decades ago), never used as residential properties, “returning them to their originally intended use” can’t be twisted to mean “used as a long-term residential condo”. If you’ve never owned my watch, never used my watch, never worn my watch, I can’t “return it” to you. it was never yours. That’s a key distinction when discussing the “return” of something.
But by all means, provide us with the official documentation that shows a condo complex was workforce housing, was long term residential housing, and I’ll concede. But I’ve been waiting a year, and the sound of these crickets has become annoying.
It sounds like you are repeating what Bissen has said about the Minatoya list being workforce housing, when nothing could be further from the truth. Please do some research so that you won’t regurgitate the same false claims that he has.
If you have done the research and feel you know what you are talking about, please itemize for us the condos on the Minatoya list that were developed and built as workforce housing, and also the source for that info. The legal and binding documents describing intended use written 50-60 years ago by the developers and builders of each condo project on the list are available for you to use as a guide.
Or, to save you the trouble, many people have already done the research, and none of these particular condos were intended for workforce housing. The final development documents list short-term rentals and vacation homes as the intended use of the condos on the Minatoya list.
Sadly, based on what I continue to read about Maui, we have cancelled our second trip now since the fire. What I continue to read regarding locals and tourists, as much as we have loved Maui, we don’t need to feel resentment and hostility on vacation.
Fortunately, we will be supporting Hawaii’s tourism economy and spend our cherished vacation in Kauai.
Everyone seems to forget that Maui was buckling under the weight of over-tourism before the pandemic. Maui was quite literally getting loved to death. Comparing current visitor numbers with pre-pandemic numbers is not a healthy way to measure sustainable tourism.
How do you tell people that we can’t accommodate everyone? You can’t all come and visit at the same time. You can’t all drive the road to Hana in your individual rental cars, blocking traffic on a one-lane bridge to take a photo of that waterfall. It’s massively inconsiderate and dangerous – and yet you keep doing it.
The natural regulator is price. Raise the price so that demand finds a new equilibrium. Of course, those that get priced out become resentful. But honestly, what other solution is there?
Hmm, well, they just opened a new hotel in Kahului. In their December 2024 Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report, the HTA reported a total of 41 properties in the County of Maui (for December 2024), representing 9,600 rooms. While this doesn’t specifically detail new developments, it indicates a substantial hotel presence on the island because no new STR developments have come online in decades.
So, maybe stop with the hotels? With the majority of those rooms being hotel, and let’s even say that they are only accommodating 2 people, that’s 18,000 people Maui has said they can accept into the visitor space. Can’t claim over tourism then make it so that you can accommodate….more tourists.
The last time we were in the islands, 2022, it was apparent that the local population did not want us there. What had previously been the welcoming Aloha spirit had been replaced by a vision of tourists as oppressors and invaders.
I loved previous visits, but between the costs and the clear message that we were not welcome, that trip may have been our last.
Yeah, even Aquaman called the pineapple the “colonizer fruit”. Everything is oppressor/oppressed, occupier/occupied. Except for those who have moved into the 21st century and have met the world and the economy where it’s at.
Paele Kiakona thinks everyone should grow Kalo, live off grid, have a mud hut…unless he’s traveling the world on the dime of the hotel lobby.
So many of these hypocrites talk out of one side of their mouths against tourism, against tourists, and against short term rentals, but then go do all of that in other places in the world. Looking at you Kaniela Ing.
My wife and I visited Maui and Kauai in October 2024. Both were shadows of their former selves.; favorite restaurants were gone on both islands and cost was totally out if control. Rentals were poorly maintained and expensive.. It just seemed the “aloha” was gone. We went to Mexico for several years and I think we’ll go back there-closer and cheaper.
Using 2019’s pre pandemic booming economy as baseline for tourism on Maui is a bit unfair.
In 2019 Maui was being trampled to death by tourist. There was a spike of east coast visitors that would have normally gone to the Caribbean or Bahamas, but both were wiped out by 2017 and 2019 Hurricanes. How soon we forget.
To expect Maui to return to pre pandemic tourist numbers is unrealistic and like all of us businesses, visitors and residents Maui are going to have to deal with this new normal.
It is hard to read your article. Hawaii is a state in the union. You are American people in an American state. You are part of us not a separate culture. The majority of people living in Hawaii are just Americans. Philppinos out number all races on the islands. It sounds like many of you discrinate against white people.
There is another factor to all of this and that is the political impact. Every chance she gets, Mazie Hirono insults, degrades and villainizes anyone that voted for Donald Trump. As of last November that’s over half of the country. Why would I spend my vacation dollars traveling to a destination that constantly harangues and openly hates me? Once you remove half of your customers from the equation does it really matter what’s going on with the STR market?
Please know that many of us are unhappy and embarrassed of Marie. Please don’t judge all of for the rude ignorance of some. I sauce you that there is still aloha here. It. Would be nice to read an article that spoke of that.
Tourism or affordability? Maui has neither! For decades Maui has been depleted of affordable housing and tourism took front seat. Leave tourism to the hotels and make space for affordable housing that makes sense. Wise up and stop using california as a blueprint.
In fiscal year 2025, short-term rentals in Maui are expected to contribute $142.4 million in real property tax revenue, which is the largest contribution from any single classification. Specifically, they will contribute $12.1 million to the Affordable Housing Fund, the largest contribution from any classification and the largest to date. Over the past five years, short-term rentals have generated $31.5 million for the affordable housing fund. Additionally, short-term rentals contribute a significant portion of the county’s property tax revenue, with estimates ranging from 37% to 42%.
So, you stand on this argument that Maui needs affordable housing, who’s the golden egg laying hen? Locals clearly can’t and don’t want to pay higher property taxes in order to fund this initiative. You just can’t have both – a robust welfare economy And one without a high revenue producing segment of the dominant economic driver.
I just returned from Maui and we felt welcome everywhere we went. In fact, I have just booked a return visit in October. The condo complex where we stay is zoned as a hotel.
Thank you so much for your love and support Michelle. We appreciate you and welcome you back. We are proud of our aloha spirit. It still lives!!!!
Aloha, Kim. I lived on the North Shore of Oahu in the 70s and three of my roommates (we were going to college there) were from Maui. It was from these lovely girls that I learned to live the Aloha spirit. To this day, it’s how I conduct myself everywhere. Should the time arrive where I do not feel welcome anywhere, I will not return. I honestly believe you get what you give. That said, the people with whom I was traveling a few weeks ago, although they have been to Maui many many times, did not demonstrate to me the Aloha spirit and so I will not travel with them again. I actually found myself apologizing for their behavior several times to locals.
I have heard of hostility to outsiders, without a doubt some of them are rude, particularly if they have been drinking. I guess I’ll find out as our whole family will be going to the big island in a couple of weeks, we have rented two houses as there are a lot of us. I hope we have a pleasant time. None of us have been to any of the islands before. This trip is basically planned by my family as a retirement party & gift for me. I am very happy to be able to spend time with my kids & grandkids. Hopefully it will all go smoothly.
Big Island doesn’t have Mauis bad attitude. For things to do and find the beaches. Read the Big Island Revealed book. Big Island you need to drive to beach most likely. Shave ice at OBISI. Gelato at Gypsea Gelato. BBQ at Fish and Hog. Pizza at Black Rock or Kona Brewery. Clue to the best beaches is on resort grounds that is also accessible to the public.
Has anyone actually looked into (carefully and deeply) just what Hawaii, and Maui, needs to support itself? Convert the short-term rentals to locals’ housing and where is that number of people going to work? Will the locals support the restaurants? If you don’t work in hospitality then where? Are the locals expecting “The State” to simply support them? It is obviously a big problem when residents can’t afford to live there but the solutions aren’t simplistic.
I agree. Me and my wife stayed at a co workers studio in Kihei some years ago. It was only liveable for the 10 days we stayed. I could not imagine any one living there long term. I believe most of the large rentals will be sold to out of state investors who have deep pockets. The Hawaiians will continue to be priced out of the market along with the jobs. I used to own a 1 bedroom condo at MVT in Oahu. We sold it when we saw the STR law being enforced. We rented it out about 4 months a year yo snowbirds. The HOA fees continue to rise. How can someone afford to rent a 1 bedroom with a monthly HOA fee almost $1100 and then pay rent. Over 560 units less then 50% owner occupied. Everyone sold their units and all the caretakers and cleaners lost their income.
As they say .. “Elections have consequences” and Maui and Hawaii are paying for their continued poor choices. The other thing that “locals” don’t get (and apparently politicians) is the amount of property taxes short term rental owners pay .. like 5 to 6 Times what a resident pays … let me say that again .. 5 to 6 Times and it’s probably even higher than that. With diminished tourism .. significantly reduced property tax revenue how are the Democrats gonna replace that revenue? Yup .. higher property and income taxes for ALL Residents .. think it’s bad now, give it time!
I lived in Kihei, Kula and Haiku in 2011 and 2012. Even back then I saw the clash between tourism and the local people. I loved living in Hawaii and would like to move back, but I won’t, and won’t even visit at this point because the locals deserve better than what they are getting.
A 25 percent tax for every goods purchase, rental and home purchase made by non locals that subsidized the cost of rentals and home purchases by locals is the only thing I see helping. Something similar to the yearly payment Alaskans receive from the oil and gas companies. That and zoning areas as local residential or tourism so the expense of tourism is kept out of areas for locals. Perhaps an entrance tax for non locals.
Tourists use the island for their personal desires, respect is a second thought. Sad.