Hawaii’s newest plan says it’s about climate. But the real change is who the state wants coming, and who it doesn’t.
Hawaii just made one of its clearest moves yet to reshape the travel experience. A new state roadmap calls for cutting one major type of visitor in half within ten years, and nearly eliminating them by 2040. While the policy officially targets cruise arrivals, that doesn’t even begin to describe the whole story. It’s part of a broader, bolder strategy now unfolding across the islands. It quietly rewrites the rules of who gets to come to Hawaii and how they’re expected to behave.
As lawmakers talk about emissions and resilience, the subtext is harder to miss. Hawaii appears to be shifting toward fewer visitors overall, with a sharp focus on those who spend more, stay less, and ask fewer questions. For longtime visitors, middle-tier travelers, and anyone who once felt at home in a beachfront condo or a quiet rental neighborhood, the welcome sign may be fading.
Hawaii’s plan to reshape tourism unfolds.
The state’s Department of Transportation released its “Emissions, Sea Level Rise, and Resilience Plan” in July. It is attached below. Inside is a line that caught our attention:
Hawaii will aim to reduce cruise arrivals by 50 percent by 2035 and “possibly phase out cruise ship tourism altogether” by 2040. It cites high emissions, crowding, and conflict with residents as the rationale. (State of Hawaii)
The plan doesn’t just address transportation. It signals a tourism strategy that favors high-spending resort guests. We’ve already seen this playing out with new rental restrictions, visitor fees, and reservation systems. The latest roadmap provides a clear direction for the first time.
What this means for longtime visitors.
The trend has been building for years. As far back as 2023, we asked Are You One of These Visitors That Hawaii Wants? More recently, we noted what Hawaii visitors are reporting in terms of changes in tone, pricing, and hospitality.
Then came the recent Return Visitors Won’t Pay—Hawaii Knows Who Else Will where many reader comments poured in, a large number from people who had returned to Hawaii for decades reporting that they felt pushed aside.
As one reader put it, “My heart hurts at the thought of no longer making our 6-week trips that we’ve made for 14 years… We no longer feel wanted.” That wasn’t an outlier.
Another longtime visitor wrote, “We aren’t coming this year and probably not next year either. Too many other places to visit where we aren’t blamed for all that ails Hawaii.”
Some said they could still afford the trip, but questioned the current value paradigm in Hawaii. “I spreadsheet all the options I’m interested in around the world. For the price they’re asking, I’ll go elsewhere.”
Others didn’t mind spending more until the hospitality wore thin. “It’s very expensive, but if me and my hard-earned money aren’t welcome, I will spend it elsewhere.”
The risks of Hawaii’s new tourism strategy.
While this shift might sound strategic, it also looks a lot like gambling with visitors. Many small businesses across the islands depend on return visitors, extended stays, travelers who eat at mom-and-pop shops, book tours off the beaten path, and even those who arrive via soon to be eliminated cruise ships. High-end resort guests often stay within the walls of their hotels. They’re not the ones lining up at a plate lunch counter typically, or picking up local crafts.
One reader proclaimed, “Elite travelers are not going to go out for a moco loco at Blane’s Drive-In.” Another added, “The rich are just buying their part of paradise. They don’t go to any of the tourist destinations because they would have to rub shoulders with the less fortunate.”
This is the same concern raised by residents too. One Maui reader wrote, “More and more gated communities. More and more expensive restaurants. The State of Hawaii has failed Hawaii residents at every level.” And another added, “Fewer visitors, fewer jobs available. Be careful what you wish for.”
The proposed cruise phase-out could deepen those impacts. Ship passengers often visit for a day and spend at small retail shops, restaurants, activity booths, and tours. Cutting them in half and then eliminating them entirely may reduce crowds, but it could also choke off what little recovery some parts of the tourism economy have left.
This would not likely affect the Pride of America, which is home-based in Honolulu and sails around the islands year-round. Nor would it necessarily apply to small operators like UnCruise.
The target is large ships that cross the Pacific and stop in Hawaii as part of international or mainland-based itineraries. Under the plan, those ships won’t stop in Hawaii any longer.
A future of limited access and higher stakes.
The direction Hawaii is taking looks increasingly like a slow filter being applied. The new roadmap makes it clearer. Cruise passengers are the first segment named, but they may not be the last. Future moves could target other segments that don’t align with the emerging Hawaii travel model.
For families who once spent weeks exploring Hawaii’s beaches and parks, the onset of new restrictions may feel like a door quietly closing. For small businesses that built relationships with those travelers over the years, it may feel like starting over with guests who may never return. As one reader said, “What a concept. No business survives by picking their customers.”
The bigger risk may not be losing these particular visitors, but losing more widespread loyalty. And once that’s gone, it may be the hardest thing to get back. Hawaii for decades prided itself on being a return destination, with more than 60% of visitors having visited before. That appears to be quickly going by the wayside.
What do you think of Hawaii’s new tourism direction? And has your relationship with Hawaii changed? Let us know in the comments.
HDOT-Draft-Energy-Security-Plan-7.15.25-Presentation-1Photo Credit – Beat of Hawaii on West Oahu
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Wave Aloha to Hawaii with these fees. Less visits, less money, less food for Hawaiians.
I am not rich but I worry about how out of work Hawaiians will obtain the things they need.
In the last few years I’ve been to Hawaii a couple of times and to Tahiti and Maria in French Polynesia. I felt much more welcome in French Polynesia. It’s only a few more hours once you’re on the jet from San Francisco. Moorea was much more enjoyable with it’s over water bungalows and feeding wrays and sharks in calm, crystal clear water. Hawaii just may become another flyover state.
One of your concerns is the heavy traffic. The blue collar guests would rent a small car or take the bus, the rich ones most likely prefer a limousine. Less traffic for the bus and more limousines on the highways.
What is going to happen to the smaller eating places and the foodtrucks, they are not going to build high style restaurants.
We have been going to Hawaii for 39 years and we are grateful that we experienced the best of times. Your lofty ideas are going to cost a lot of people their livelyhood, for them I feel sorry, so very sorry, it has been hard enough for them as it is.
My heart is with the hard working people in small businesses.
I guess the well heeled will be vacationing in Hawaii, less and less of the middle class who work and basically support everyone. It will be better for the natural environment for sure. The locals trying to make a living? Good luck.
I would love it if the islands everywhere would possibly phase out cruise ship tourism altogether”, I think it is a distraction from the greenspace, ocean views, that I love to see. It hurts the ocean life as well and the footprint on the small island life. Just not a good fit as far as Im concerned. I dont want to sit on the beach and look out at a giant cruise ship in my view. No matter where I travel, but especially Hawaiian Islands,
Tahiti is much nicer than Hawaii. The people in Tahiti are sweet and much friendly
I personally prefer Tahiti over Hawaii and have no desire to visit Hawaii again.
We are returning in Sept and still hope to find a welcoming Hawaii. Thingshave probably changed like anywhere but we think we are as prepared as we can be especially with the drastic increases in costs.
We’re middle/working class.
Newly retired.
Lots of Ohana on Oahu and beloved timeshare on Maui.
Gov. Green and the state govt. obviously don’t want us and want only the mega rich.
Call it what you want but it’s discrimination and disgusting.
To discriminate against anyone for anything is sickening and morally wrong. Shame on you !
We both grew up and worked in the hospitality/tourism industry here in SoCal, the vast,vast majority of our co workers embraced and welcomed tourists that drove the economic engine of OC/SoCal.
With our local ties, we will forever love and visit Hawaii.
Green and the rest of the govt, hope you enjoy alienating the middle/working class and slaming the door in our faces. Say hi to your rich $$$ visitors.
Green, don’t worry, SoCal will still embrace and welcome tourists,we want and need them.
Aloha
Oahu stands for “The Gathering Place”. It’s a shame all tourists no longer fall into that category.
On Maui now and restaurants and bars are definitely feeling the pinch with less business. The high end tourist they want to attract still want things to do. Hotels at $1000 a night might be good for them, but not me. Leave it to elected officials D or R and they will screw it up
If affordable, I’ll visit. If not, I won’t. We’re staying in Waikoloa next month 11 days with another couple. Yes I’ve noticed all the changes. Feel I’m not welcomed by politicians but do with locals. 36 years ago first trip of 24. Experienced most. Will see how all evolves. Have been visiting more of mainland US past couple years. Trend could continue. Decisions have consequences. I can pivot either way.
The pandemic brought a very eye opening perspective to being a local in Hawaii. A perspective that hadn’t been see since the 1950’s or earlier. Many of us joked after the travel restrictions were lifted, how do we get them back! Having been one of the island’s essential workers I was not on unemployment because my career was not based on tourism. Many of us hoped that state and county officials would have recognized that tourism as our GDP is not sustainable and would have vetted other avenues for a new GDP stream. Finding this is very difficult but not impossible. We just need to be creative. Ultimately tourism is just a metamorphosis of the plantation life, Corporations and “Bosses” reaping the benefits while the workers toil and barely scrape by, while being expendable. Our foundation is fractured. We need something like, Roosevelt’s New Deal, where locals are trained in building and upgrading our infrastructure and that industry is all locally owned.
I understand everyone on Hawaii loved having the islands pretty empty during covid. And the government was handing out free money for people to stay home. Free money will not be coming this time.The anti tourist sediment is not working. The islands are already slowing down and now the goverment is spending millions to get tourist to come back. The federal government has been giving a ton of money to Maui. The last amount was 1.6 billion . That to will stop coming soon. The people are going to suffer from loss of businesses and loss of jobs. The economy on the islands would already be down because of a lot of people from other countries not wanting to come to the US right now. But on top of that the uncertainty in all of are markets people are saving more. So tourism is down. But with the people of Hawaii not wanting tourist this is making it even harder .
Well, if you would prefer smokestacks and factories to tourist hotels I guess that’s your choice but I don’t see anything sustainable for the Hawaiian economy other than tourism. I guess you could go back to sugarcane and pineapples but how many people want to work in those jobs?
I believe if we put Hawaiians first, Hawaiians in this sense meaning anyone who lives and works here, then the rest will follow. The job of the state of Hawaii is to make life better, good roads and schools, housing, not to try and figure how to get this kind of tourist or that. Concentrate on improving life in these islands thus making happy people who will host the world with Aloha.
Do Hawaiian elites recognize or even care how this approach will unequally affect “locals”. Under this plan the great diaspora of locals will accelerate and cultural connections to the beloved homeland broken. This is a stealth plan to replace the population with contract workers and corporatise the state for the pleasure of the few. Money talks and the rest of us walk. Good luck.
We will be visiting Kauai in September and we will see how we are treated. There are plenty of beautiful beaches in the world and certainly ones cheaper than Hawaii.
Linda, I hope you see all the beautiful beaches on Kauai. Get someone with 4WD to take u to Polihale. There is nothing more gorgeous than Polihale. Until my husband’s health failed, we traveled from the East Coast to Kauai for nearly 30 yrs.
Is there such a thing as the middle class extreme stink eye? Excuse me if I don’t own a Rolex or rent a Rolls Royce. After this will people under dressed be looked at like get out of here? Leave now. IMO things will change and not for the better.
Sad day for Hawaii when those with the big money but generally no interest in what makes Hawaii truly special will be the treasured visitors. This at the expense of those of us who care about the culture, getting to know communities through longer stays local shopping but not the high end luxury dollars.
Won’t be back soon, if ever, sadly.