243 thoughts on “Nickle-And-Dimed To Death | Hawaii Visitors Reeling”
Robin K
I believe that some people forget that the state of Hawaii receives federal money. I pay my federal taxes and some goes to Hawaii.Please refrain from this elitist attitude .
When we go we spend hundreds and sometimes more at local businesses. I am sure others do too!
I live in a tourist area on the coast of CA. We welcome visitors.
Aloha Y’all 😉! Hawaii has been our go-to R&R spot for years but Forbes said it best:
“Politicians often find it easier to slap on special travel taxes than to raise broad-based levies on their constituents. The idea is to shift the burden to outsiders, who don’t vote.”
Thanks for all of your updates on such a wide variety of topics!
We come to the BI to visit family, but venture out on our own. As of yet we have not found a yearly state park pass. Why not offer a daily, weekly, or yearly option for some of these places like most other states? Hawaii would still get our $ but give us the freedom to hop in for a short time with out feeling like we needed to stay and get “our moneys worth “.
Maui resident here – we are so overwhelmed with tourists that residents can’t enjoy the beauty of our home. These fees help residents to at least have a chance at getting a parking spot at the beach, having a spot for our family picnic at the State or National Park, etc. It has become so crowded here that most residents can’t even get up to Haleakala because all reservations are snatched up by tourists months in advance. We live here and work here and sometimes want to relax at the beach on our one day off a week but no parking. We see our places being completely taken over by tourists. We can’t eat out at restaurants because they are booked out 4-6 months with tourist reservations. This is our home first, your vacation spot second.
Reading the comments, it seems that a lot of people think that tourism dollars are what make Hawaii operate at a viable level for locals. Remember: the locals of Hawaii lived, endured, thrived, and flourished before tourism. They thrived before whaling, before sandalwood, before sugarcane, before pineapple. These are passing industries. If you think that tourism is the only thing Hawaii has got going for itself, then think again.
I agree with the fees imposed at state parks (including beaches). These help improve the parks. Maybe the fees can be used to improve our infrastructure as well. Other west coast states do this. Hawaii is behind the times on this. It is not nickel-and-diming. It makes sense. The 18% hotel tax, on the other hand.
I agree about the improvements, but if that is the case All Should Pay, not just visitors. Locals use the beaches and parks as well. What is fair for one, should be fair for all.
Hi guys , I still go to hawaii often ( Waikiki ) and do have access to reasonable condo/hotel rates but the housing rental law may affect me ( it’s on hold now til April ) so I am doing my traditional November monthly stay but for the first time in 20 years I am not going for my traditional short 10 day stay in March2023 and my 3 week stay in may2023 , instead i have found cruises for those tines .the cruises are cheaper and on ship the food is free . I would estimate waikiki will be losing about $5000 total I would have paid for condo or hotel, food and beverages . Also the airlines will have one less paying customer.
I love your blog as it keep me connected to issues on the ground and it’s good to hear the deliberations taking place within your tourism circles.
Having said all that, this nickel & diming issue is kind of Old News, and was further exacerbated by covid plus these other things:
1) no meaningful way to address this key issue
2) absentee owners looking to have tourists pay for their future retirement pad = $$$$
3) taxation that’s excessive (like some other places) w/o anything in return
4) the greed factor that often takes over when demand is up
If I have a tenant and I dont like them, jacking up the rent to get rid of them ultimately will make everyone including me unhappy. That’s where Hawaiian tourism is heading.
Those of you stating you won’t be coming back are doing exactly what our government officials and tourism administration are hoping for. It’s no secret the goal is to cater to the tourist that brings maximum spending.
Less numbers with equal revenue means economy stays healthy with less footprint on the islands.
Not my plan, just our administrators…please don’t shoot the messenger
It truly boggles my mind as to why anyone who isn’t a “one percenter” would tolerate $700, $800, or $1000+ per night in a money pit resort hotel. As both an owner and user of vacation rentals, the value isn’t even remotely comparable, even with the highest transient taxes in the country. Let the 5-star hotels price themselves into oblivion, there’s always a fantastic condo waiting for a “ninety-nine percenter” somewhere you want to be.
We were just in Wailea/Marriott we parked our rental car in the self parking garage.
When we checked out we were charged for parking our own car…. really… self parking!!
I believe that some people forget that the state of Hawaii receives federal money. I pay my federal taxes and some goes to Hawaii.Please refrain from this elitist attitude .
When we go we spend hundreds and sometimes more at local businesses. I am sure others do too!
I live in a tourist area on the coast of CA. We welcome visitors.
Aloha Y’all 😉! Hawaii has been our go-to R&R spot for years but Forbes said it best:
“Politicians often find it easier to slap on special travel taxes than to raise broad-based levies on their constituents. The idea is to shift the burden to outsiders, who don’t vote.”
Hi Gary.
Long time no see over here! Good to hear from you.
Aloha.
Thanks for all of your updates on such a wide variety of topics!
We come to the BI to visit family, but venture out on our own. As of yet we have not found a yearly state park pass. Why not offer a daily, weekly, or yearly option for some of these places like most other states? Hawaii would still get our $ but give us the freedom to hop in for a short time with out feeling like we needed to stay and get “our moneys worth “.
Hi Joan.
Thanks! The idea of a pass has certainly been mentioned, but beyond that, we haven’t heard anything about the state heading in that direction.
Aloha.
Maui resident here – we are so overwhelmed with tourists that residents can’t enjoy the beauty of our home. These fees help residents to at least have a chance at getting a parking spot at the beach, having a spot for our family picnic at the State or National Park, etc. It has become so crowded here that most residents can’t even get up to Haleakala because all reservations are snatched up by tourists months in advance. We live here and work here and sometimes want to relax at the beach on our one day off a week but no parking. We see our places being completely taken over by tourists. We can’t eat out at restaurants because they are booked out 4-6 months with tourist reservations. This is our home first, your vacation spot second.
So much for living the the dream.
It is not my dream vacation any more.
Reading the comments, it seems that a lot of people think that tourism dollars are what make Hawaii operate at a viable level for locals. Remember: the locals of Hawaii lived, endured, thrived, and flourished before tourism. They thrived before whaling, before sandalwood, before sugarcane, before pineapple. These are passing industries. If you think that tourism is the only thing Hawaii has got going for itself, then think again.
I agree with the fees imposed at state parks (including beaches). These help improve the parks. Maybe the fees can be used to improve our infrastructure as well. Other west coast states do this. Hawaii is behind the times on this. It is not nickel-and-diming. It makes sense. The 18% hotel tax, on the other hand.
Michael B:
I agree about the improvements, but if that is the case All Should Pay, not just visitors. Locals use the beaches and parks as well. What is fair for one, should be fair for all.
Hi guys , I still go to hawaii often ( Waikiki ) and do have access to reasonable condo/hotel rates but the housing rental law may affect me ( it’s on hold now til April ) so I am doing my traditional November monthly stay but for the first time in 20 years I am not going for my traditional short 10 day stay in March2023 and my 3 week stay in may2023 , instead i have found cruises for those tines .the cruises are cheaper and on ship the food is free . I would estimate waikiki will be losing about $5000 total I would have paid for condo or hotel, food and beverages . Also the airlines will have one less paying customer.
We decided to do the same River cruises include air and room, food plus you can see the world for much cheaper than Hawaii.
I love your blog as it keep me connected to issues on the ground and it’s good to hear the deliberations taking place within your tourism circles.
Having said all that, this nickel & diming issue is kind of Old News, and was further exacerbated by covid plus these other things:
1) no meaningful way to address this key issue
2) absentee owners looking to have tourists pay for their future retirement pad = $$$$
3) taxation that’s excessive (like some other places) w/o anything in return
4) the greed factor that often takes over when demand is up
If I have a tenant and I dont like them, jacking up the rent to get rid of them ultimately will make everyone including me unhappy. That’s where Hawaiian tourism is heading.
Hi Brad.
Thanks for saying that. We appreciate your many comments.
Aloha.
Those of you stating you won’t be coming back are doing exactly what our government officials and tourism administration are hoping for. It’s no secret the goal is to cater to the tourist that brings maximum spending.
Less numbers with equal revenue means economy stays healthy with less footprint on the islands.
Not my plan, just our administrators…please don’t shoot the messenger
But they will not be getting my money.
Staying on the mainland, Florida Gulf coast.
Yes, but wait till the yen stops visiting. The Japanese also has a strong fascination with Hawaii but they can only stand so much too.
It truly boggles my mind as to why anyone who isn’t a “one percenter” would tolerate $700, $800, or $1000+ per night in a money pit resort hotel. As both an owner and user of vacation rentals, the value isn’t even remotely comparable, even with the highest transient taxes in the country. Let the 5-star hotels price themselves into oblivion, there’s always a fantastic condo waiting for a “ninety-nine percenter” somewhere you want to be.
We were just in Wailea/Marriott we parked our rental car in the self parking garage.
When we checked out we were charged for parking our own car…. really… self parking!!