A visitor surcharge for parking on Kauai is set to be implemented.
289 thoughts on “Should Visitors Pay New $10 Kauai Beach Parking Surcharge?”
Comments are closed.
A visitor surcharge for parking on Kauai is set to be implemented.
Comments are closed.
You can bet people will try to get around paying the parking fee by parking on the street etc. Isn’t reducing street parking going to inconvenience locals too? Probably soon Hawaii will learn the hard way the story of the nene who laid the golden egg?
This is just horrible. Of course Kauai council again votes to “stick it to the non-voters”. This makes no sense and will hurt the private businesses that also rely on these lots for their clients. Such as at Poipu Beach, people are not going to want to pay $10 to get a Puka Dog or go to Brennecke’s restaurant. I fear that our condo complex in Poipu is going to have outsiders using our parking lots – so now we have to monitor this?
As a visitor, it doesn’t bother me. I realize that tourism is most if the economy, but I think residents should have some perks. Pretty much anywhere I like to travel has some sort of parking or access fee. I would like to see some sort of weekly pass, though. Like some of the national parks, or even some state parks.
I think this could have been spun more positively, too. New parking fees at the beaches…and residents get free entry… something like that.
I’ve been following you since before COVID and it’s been an interesting read every time. Never responded until now. A $1000 fine to tourists is definitely putting me off from visiting Kauai. That’s 100 times the parking permit itself! It very much seems like biting off the hand that feeds it. My folks lived on Oahu but I’ve never been to Kauai and sadly, probably never will with that kind of policy.
Aloha!
Crowd control is different than income generation. I Ustinov the real motivation for the $10. Who will there to collect the $ and monitor??
MaryMargaret from Maui
Taxes should be coming from people with second and third homes in Hawaii. Property taxes in Hawaii are ridiculously low. If you don’t generate income there not including rental or live there 6 months out of the year your property tax should go from 2500 on a 900k home to 12,500.
One of the cool things about Hawaii is that no one can own the beach. I know that these are parking lots, but how does it work that the Visitor is charged and not a Local. As outlined in this article, we the Visitor are charged for everything … we pay your sales tax at the Restaurants and Hotels that we visit. We pay it for our Rental Cars and on and on. One of the free family outings is a visit to the beach. Wow we really aren’t welcome. Where is the Aloha there? Get the $ from the HTA.
I wouldn’t have a problem paying a “reasonable” parking fee (not $10!) charged to everyone regardless if they are residents or tourists IF the fees went to building new lots and restrooms. Kaua’i should be ashamed of the condition of the majority of the restrooms at the beaches. The new ones at Hanalei could be a model for every beach park.
Poipu beach has restaurants and businesses. How on earth would an attempt at enforcement be able to distinguish between customers of those businesses and anyone going to the beach?
So now I have to cancel dinner at a local restaurant or not make another purchase so I can pay to park at the beach? I am a us citizen too. Why wouldn’t everyone have to pay then? Other states are equitable with fees and don’t just expect tourists, that you rely on, to fund everything. This is sad.
When I’m on Kauai I often go to Poipu, then to Brenneke’s for happy hour. So the parking fee turns into an add on to Happy Hour expenses? I don’t mind paying under $5. But not more. These islands seem to be nickel and dimeing tourists and it’s getting really old and annoying. Hawaii is expensive to go to and stay at, real people have to save and work extra to go, all these fees will add to the difficulties of going.
So what happens when me the tourist who drives a rental car, takes my friend who lives on the island goes to the beach? Pay or not?
Why not just collect a flat rate for this parking at the rental office? They could keep a tiny portion like 1% for the trouble of remitting to the government.
Purely another cash grab from tourism which accomplishes nothing unless it is proven to be used solely for roads/parks maintenance. Dumb.