Visitors and residents want their share of Hawaii’s beaches. What just happened on Kauai and how that contrasts with the latest Maui beach plans.
Visitors and residents want their share of Hawaii’s beaches. What just happened on Kauai and how that contrasts with the latest Maui beach plans.
We returned from our vacation at the Marriott Kauai Beach club where we are owners and witnessed the daily docking of cruise ships followed by an invasion of cruise ship passengers taking over Kalapaki Beach. We witnessed them ignoring the resort signs and using the lounge chairs for resort guests. Resort employees were regularly reminding the cruise ship passengers of the posted signs about the lounge chairs. A few cruise passengers did rent chairs and umbrellas from Kauai Beach Boys.
We have been vacationing at Kalapaki Beach for a number of years, and have never seen the number of cruise ships we have this year. There was a noticeable increase in the number of visitors.
The people who think going to Hawaii for 20 years makes them some sort of expert is ridiculous.
No, not all think they are ‘experts’, but they have seen the change. I started in 1975, and a few years later, bought into a small condo unit north of Kaanapali Resorts (looking for something quiet and away from the crowds). I’ve seen the traffic, the lines outside the resteraunts, the increase in prices, etc.. We who have been coming to HI for some time are sympathetic with the locals, and we do understand their concerns, which in many cases we share. But there is no easy solution to the problem of ‘too many houles’. Cheap airfare, available funds, Europe still not ‘open’, where can they go? Unfortunately, HI is on the bullseye. Hopefully things will change for the better.
Really, I think 20 years as a tourist shows a Lot of change! Cruise ships eventually wreck every paradise, in my experience.
I have been swimming at Kalapaki Beach for close to 40 years,daily I witness how the polite hard working staff at Kalapaki Beach Boys interact with visitors and I see how happy visitors of all ages are.
I was there Sunday-the beach was crowded,but there were still “spots”,maybe not the spot a person wanted or felt entitled to but plenty of space
Instead of sitting with flags facing happy visitors,perhaps those people should have set up a spot,put on a pair of fins,or jumped on a body board and joined in on the fun -today the beach is empty/plenty of” spots” your spot”
My takeaway from this is that the concessionaire is restricted to placing beach chairs only after they have been rented. This stipulation precludes them from pre-claiming public beach, which seems to me reasonable.
I understand their point. But also tourism is what pays their bills. The industry on the island depends on visitors. Look what happen to Maui during Covid. Shocked to see everything out of business. Depressing and the lack of rules being enforced. There two weeks. Drinking on beaches, drunks loud music and people smoking and throwing cigarettes on Beaches. They did show no respect for island or people. Made us disgusted. Not going back this year.
Whether or not the locals like to acknowledge the fact, many, many folks who live on the islands are directly or indirectly involved in employment that is supported by tourism. Shop workers, resteraunt workers, cab drivers, hotel staff, gas station attendants, etc., are all impacted by tourism. When I was on Maui last April, I was taken by how many businesses were closed due to the pandemic. A lot of them, most, are still closed, largely because of the tourist drought during the pandemic. You can’t have it both ways: full employment and fewer tourists. Don’t know that there is an equitable solution to that problem. Knocking down a bunch of hotels would be a start!
Kauai and Kalapaki, should be first come first serve, just as at Pools, where placing towels on chairs 3 hours early is a No-No, I get the Beach Boys deal, but they should not be taking spaces before people show up, not cool!
Maui, only having been to Kapalua, Kaanapali and Wailea, none of this applies, but the ‘attitude’ is hardly in the Aloha spirit, also, regarding Lahaina without Parking, would never try and fight the battle, used to have Accounts there as well as Lahaina Grill since 1990 originally as David Paul’s, Avalon going back to 1988, up the road Freda’s and Honu, but they have Parking. People have choices and sadly, there seems to be a blockage between Government, and Service Industry folks being compensated to stay home!
Sounds like visitors are no longer welcome. Sad. But Mexico has some beaches as well.
So many taxes and fees with hotels and car rentals. Taxes on all groceries. Now this inconvenience. So stupid and irritating. Aloha Hawaii!
Yikes! We’ve been here for over a week now and the beach at Kalapaki has been chair free… just sand. Your pic looks awful! Lounge chairs/tables for KBC & Sonesta guests are on the grass as usual.
This is like going back to the 50’s and 60’s when the tables on the public beaches were painted different colors for locals, in the shade, and the visitors in the sun!! Sounds like Hawaii is going backwards.
It will be interesting to see what happens on the islands when Hawaii manages to kill the golden goose. Like it or not, tourism is the lynch pin of the Hawaiian economy and once enough tourists say “enough” its going to get ugly.
My family and I have visited Hawaii several times over the years, with last time being January 2020, just before the pandemic. However, as I have watched Hawaii navigate through the pandemic, and read about the tourist backlash, tourist only fees, parking, etc. I really have no desire to visit any time soon as there are so many other places where my vacation dollars can be spent.
How is this different then the resorts at the coves at Ko’olina every morning placing a bunch of lounge chairs and umbrellas out that guests can rent? Unless Oahu has different laws? Maybe because each cove has more dedicated open use areas?
The maui airport was practically empty when I flew to Vegas yesterday. Got through the TSA checkpoint in 5 minutes (record time). The beaches also seem to be less crowded other than Ulua beach which is always packed. At this point it’s too early to say how much if any damage will result from the anti tourist mentality of Maui County or the state of Hawaii. Maui has continued to benefit from all the hysteria over the volcano eruption talk on the big island as less tourist are traveling there and more are coming to Maui. However in the long run tourism may suffer when the parking charges actually begin.
I have been blessed with visiting the islands for the last 40 plus years and have always respected the islands culture. But after our last visit on Maui we didn’t feel welcome at the beaches and when going to Hana we were denied entrance to the park because we didn’t have a reservation? Just a negative vibe very sad.
I just canceled my multi island trip, like was said, taking my dollars elsewhere. I’m certain many of the native Hawaiians will be happy, until their economy takes a big hit. My son lived in Hawaii last summer, and it’s not a friendly place to most from the continental US.
Wondering how the locals are going to launch their outriggers into the bay through all the chairs & umbrellas. Come on “Beach Boys” get smart!
I was blessed to live on Kaua’i for many years & visited most of the other islands back in the good old days. Sadly, I have no interest in visiting there due to all the anti-aloha fees.
It is time that local Hawaiians lobby their duly elected representatives to limit
visitor travel And encourage other business entreprises aside from tourism. Anyone like to bet on that probability ?
Hawaii is a small island archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Everything physical (e.g., food, building supplies, appliances, cars, trucks, etc.) must be shipped here from the mainland. Anything “produced” here must be shipped back to mainland. Jobs that can be performed on-line still require associated affordable housing (guess how much of that is available on Hawaii?) Other than government jobs (e.g., police, teachers, county bureaucrats), there is tourism and the trades. And the only money in the trades is building/remodeling homes/hotels/roads that are owned by or cater to people from mainland. Plenty of tree cutters and landscapers.
The Maui tach center has exactly one success that I know of: Maui Brewing
We own a house on the Big Island and have been spending winters there for decades. My general impression is that the growing dislike for tourists among a decent fraction of the population makes us feel less welcome, even though we are quiet and self contained. I did volunteer at the Mauna Kea Visitor center for years and years, also, but the activities there were largely discontinued due to the same kind of feelings by many others in Hawaii…a loss for not just me alone IMO.
I understand the ideas about diversification which have been going on again, for decades, and frankly I can’t imagine that really happening. As things are, I’m still happy we have a place now, but would reconsider if we were deciding now.
Our 10:30 am November 1 Portland, OR to Maui flight, HA 39, was cancelled. We were notified by email at 3:43 am–who is going to read their email at 3:43 am? I happened to wake up at 4:00 am and check via the Hawaiian Airlines app to see flight was cancelled. I called Hawaiian Airlines and they told me that they could get me a flight to Honolulu then to Maui 2 days later. WOW! I scrambled and got our family booked on an Alaska Flight November 1 at 7:00 am (we had to scramble but made it). Called Hawaiian Airlines to ask them to process our airfare refund and baggage fees. After 50 minutes, and multiple transfers, speaking to someone in a non English speaking country, I think we got the refund to our credit card. HA is dead to me.
We have been going to Hawaii for the past 42 years. The state has made it abundantly clear that they will do everything they can to gouge visitors. We will now take our tourist dollars and go where we are welcome. It was a great place for 40 years, but no more.
Me too. After 20 years of visiting every other year, we will not return. We have found a wonderful place where we are welcomed.
Hey Debra S.
Just curious…Where is your new wonderful place?