Hawaii’s tourism plans are in real trouble. Read why.
167 thoughts on “Hawaii’s Tourism Plans Marooned Again, Mired in Latest Controversy”
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Mahalo BOH for this extremely interesting debate. I feel that what some are missing here is that Hawaii as a state truly has to look at other was of sustaining itself, 2019 proved to be a wake up call that there has to be controls on tourism, 2020 proved that we needed better ways to take care of ourselves should we be cut off from mainland deliveries. It’s sad that some cannot see what we are dealing with at this time.
Hi Paula.
Thanks for your input on this and your other comments.
Aloha.
Paula,
Not sure about 2019. Other than 2020, we have vacationed in Hawaii for decades. What happened in 2019? I was there but perhaps missed it.
Mahalo.
Rod, I was also interested and found this:
“Then as the vacation rentals market grew, Hawaii had more than 10 million visitors in 2019 — a record that caused some residents to complain about capacity issues.”
So it sounds as if the residents were having misgivings about the numbers well before the pandemic.
We’ve all read about cities worldwide that have been experiencing this for years (eg Barcelona, Venice)
Mahalo PEGM, that is exactly what I was referring to.
Hi Peg,
I went to the HTA, and this is what I found. I admit up front, the numbers were not as clear as I would like, at least to me. But, if I read the charts right 2019 saw a dramatic decrease in tourism in Hawaii:
2016 12,020,545
2017 12,235,608
2018 13,239,175
2019 10,243,165
2020 3,157,946
That’s interesting. Wondering if it was the previous several years that gave residents the feeling that they were being overwhelmed.
We spent Nov through end of Feb 2020-21 on Kauai, and from early December until we left, it was nearly tourist free. A bit surreal. You could easily drive places, always get parking, and good service in places that had employees. If you were not dependent on tourism, it was pretty great. I get that it is not sustainable, but it gave residents a taste of life with no tourists, and they loved it. Now, the crush is back.
Peg,
It’s probably one of those love-hate relationships. Just as it might also be with the military.
It’s difficult – the Hawaiians have what everyone wants – a piece of paradise. But, even in paradise, people have to eat. There aren’t a whole lot of ways to make enough money in Hawaii-the state depends on tourism and the military. In a sense, Hawaiians, are prisoners in their own state – which causes resentment. But, that’s not their fault & not the tourists’ fault – it’s geography & weather.
I did find this, also from HTA:
“A total of 10,424,995 visitors came to Hawaii in 2019, an increase of 5.4 percent from the 9,888,845 visitors in 2018”
So, not really sure of our numbers!
Peg,
Hard to say. One thing is for sure – it’s a lot of people. Especially with a state population of 1.5 million.
But NYC has a pop of approx 8 million and had 65 million visitors in 2018.
I just think that Hawaii has a good thing going – don’t ruin it.
My suggestion: In any tourism planning, Keep Two well respected economic principles top of mind:
1. Supply vs demand: If you mandate reduced visitor flow in the face of static supply (of hotel rooms, rental cars, etc), prices will skyrocket! (Remember rental cars!) And price controls will often dry up the supply.
2. Private organizations and businesses nearly always accomplish the objectives better and at less cost than government organizations. Best wishes! Jim E
Absolutely correct, Liam! When they stopped the Airbnb’s from outside Waikiki the only thing they did was hurt the locals who ran them. I think it is a good idea to limit ownership of rentals to “x” amount per permanent resident with proof of ownership in order to stimulate economy for locals. Also the overdevelopment of hotels by outside corporations has always been an issue. It’s time to convert defaulted hotels into housing for the elderly and homeless. Hawaii has ignored them too long.
You obviously do not live in an area of interest to tourists. Airbnb ruins neighborhoods, this has happened worldwide. That has caused this backlash.
Peg, that’s a “NIMBY” (not in my back yard) comment. While I am in favor of good zoning laws, telling someone what they can or can’t do with their property isn’t fair. That’s why I suggested limited the amount of ownerships of Airbnb’s. It’s supposed to be private people renting their one or two income properties, not a corporate group buying up all the condos in a neighborhood (hence good zoning). It can be done!
I remember watching a YouTube video in the middle of the lockdown from think tech Hawaii. They had 4 panelists and all I heard was tax, tax, tax. One person said add another 40% onto the hotel and rental car tax. Hawaii has so many advantages for tech and other opportunities but as long as they had these same people who looked like they have all been working for the state 50 years nothing will ever change. You have Larry Ellison, Zuckerberg, beZos and others who live that place. Reach out !!!!
Excellent Point Jeff S.
At this point… I really do have to wonder if there is any reason for the HTA/HVCS to market Hawaii as a tourism destination – everyone knows, most everyone would like to go. Save the tax dollars.
Let the airlines do the advertising for you. And the Hotels, if they actually think they have enough vacancies for it to matter.
One thing we can all be assured of is if it a government entity of any kind making decisions the results 100% wrong.
Control tourism count by implementing a destination permit. Establish the cap and issue (sell) permits online. Only to individuals / not companies (airlines, hotels, B&Bs, tourist cos., charters.
That’s Un-American, Bill.
BOH, thank you for summing this all up! I agree with comments that Hawaii also needs to focus on other areas for self sustainability like agricultural advancements however, tourism is such an immediate issue (a huge source of income for the state yet also a HUGE source of problems for the state and residents) that I feel it needs laser focus to come up with a solid plan that will benefit the state and the residents now and in the long term. All the whiny comments from mainlanders…SEE YA 👋🏼
Hi Michelle.
Thanks for your comments and the input on really important topic.
Aloha.
I couldn’t agree more! Even if I AM a whinny mainlander, at least for now.
I agree that Hawaii needs to find some kind of balance and other industries to sustain the economy. The pandemic certainly opened up your eyes to how much you rely on tourism. However, to continue to raise the fees and taxes on those of us who love your islands is not the route to go. As many of the other comments have stated we will take our dollars elsewhere. I’m not sure where some of the people think because we have come to enjoy the “aloha” we do not have bottomless pockets.
It seems to me that the state as a whole is still in the planning/debate phase of their thinking, this is going to take awhile.
Aloha Guys
Hi Roy.
True that; it’ll take a while. And yet some inevitable changes are becoming clear.
Aloha.
Roy,
Hawaii is a desirable vacation state. The problem is most of the tourists end up in few places.
The state working with the hospitality industry should work on spreading the tourist out more. Not everyone who comes to Hawaii needs to stay in Honolulu or Waikiki. And not everyone who comes to Hawaii needs to stay in Oahu. Hawaii has something that states without it can’t create – fabulous vacation weather. Use the weather and facilities to create more interest elsewhere in Hawaii.
Rod, you seem blithely unaware that the other islands — especially Kauai and Maui — are already horribly over-touristed. They need a reduction in the numbers of tourists and cars, for the sake of quality of life for their inhabitants.
And the lion’s share of the tourist revenue goes to huge corporations — the hotel chains and car rental conglomerates, etc. — it does not stay local or benefit local people.
Cathy,
Apparently, you are better at hurling insults than understanding the written word.
Gotta say this: There are other areas that can be developed, but NIMBY is preventing it. Imagine new pristine beaches on Molokai and Lanai. With the money that goes to Waikiki development it could be done. Might need some Eminent Domain. Oh No!!
And the recent tax additions are not in the Aloha spirit. They are Gouging!