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.
Leave a Comment
167 thoughts on “Visitors Confused: Kauai Beach Protests + Maui Beach Rules And Fees”
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.
I as a tourist love to come to Hawaii. This aggressive behaviors toward tourists is unwarranted. Most tourists pay a pretty penny to visit Hawaii and come with aloha. But now the people who subsidize your economy are being victimized by whom ever make the rules. So with regards to paying 10–30 dollars every day for parking in South Maui is a joke. So everyone will be street park everywhere and will make business and local even more disgruntled. Bad decision and where is the aloha. You shouldn’t be mad at tourists. But you’ll have a paradise of homeless people if you run off tourists. There are many place on the island to go to the beach. So screw the Kihei business. Don’t bite the hands that feed you.
Many non residents believe they are free to go any where. Not realizing the space they take means a local cannot. Multiply that by the ten of thousands traveler. Travelers have to be realistic. So, how does heir want begin to be ok to replace the generational resident in their home spaces and public places? Very invasive attitude. There has to be limits especially when the demand for these spaces and places are high, over capacity, unreasonable.
I do agree with you partially, more than you are aware, and Tourists seem to be “mostly” self contained in certain high traffic areas for as much as I have seen. My only experience has been with the County of Oahu and the overcrowding of Waikiki and Honolulu, okay Dole Plantation too. Most Tourists stick to certain areas and don’t traverse the Island as I do, that’s the truth. Why some would go into neighborhoods in greater numbers I can only imagine from Experience, a closer look may prove informative of the activities of some neighbors or a problem with roadways. I prefer learning through seeing and talking with Native Hawaiians and Respecting Cultural Areas, they show us the Past.
Wanna go have fun?
Just check the
Live Beach Camera’s.
Every time I do they
appear, essentially empty.
Something has changed.
Aloha,
Tim
Tim this is not just a recent occurrence. From my first vacation on Oahu over a dozen years ago and right up to the present I haven’t noticed much of a change. Where it is typically overutilizing is Waikiki and beaches around the resorts. Most of Oahu’s vast beaches are not being used that much at all. On several occasions I have seen more people at Turtle Beach than at many others. Of course the North Shore is unbelievable when there’s Competitions, what a good place to be when they are. Tourists for the most part stay in the Tourism Area and don’t venture out too often, just enough to feed local hot spots economies.
Like many visitors, we visited the state of Hawaii with respect. Our first visit was Kauai, 1999.Were gifted the trip. Our children loved it. Did our research, went local, picked up garbage.
Subsequent trips were always local based. Shipped back local products. Always aloha!
Had trips scheduled at a tourist condo, at pandemic start. Condo said do not come. We cancelled.
Now we feel like we are being grouped with the bad tourists.
Never would have gone to Hawaii, in 1999. Travel agent pushed Kauai hard. Agents Still pushing Hawaii hard.
When Hawaiians visit the Ozarks, we have seen disrespectful behavior toward locals and the land. It cuts both ways.
The only solution I see is for Hawaii to become a sovereign nation.
It’s one possibility and another is to stop the Tourism for a 3 year period, absolutely none. When 3 years is up we allow 5,000 tourists to test things out. Every 6 months we test it until at year 4 we begin again with full Tourism. How much do you think the Islands will have changed by then?
I just visited Hawaii and it is magical and I can totally understand. Why tourists are frowned upon there. I find it fascinating that it’s always the “money aspect” with them. “We bring money”. Many don’t care and they rather you stay away and keep your money. There is a reason why Molokai is the way it is. The west always believes they are some sort of “positive presence” when all of it was stolen, taken over, colonized like all of these places around the world. Natives have not forgot
I totally understand why local people should have special priorities to access beaches. Soooo many tourists coming to the islands, that have limited resources, has turned paradise into a congested nightmare.
Access to the Beaches have never been a problem when we have visited as many people have claimed, it’s amazing how few tourists bother with any Beaches that are not near the downtown area. Maybe on a couple of other islands an issue may exist, is it where the resorts and hotels are? With all of the Beaches available don’t tell me that there’s no access, I didn’t buy the Brooklyn Bridge and wasn’t Born Yesterday!
born and raised on the big lsand I also work in the tourist industry for 33 yrs. They are not the same as they were before. They have the mindset they have the right to party and trash hawaii because they’re spending money but that’s not true they dont support local bussiness they over crowd out beaches and trash our islands not
To mention spreading covid. We just had the ironman and it was the worst I had ever seen. Things need to change and we want change. If they want to go somewhere else fine there’s no shortage of tourist. Things to be regulated and boundaries set.
How would you feel if where you lived had tourists come in droves and inundate your once local quiet spots, leave trash and beer bottles to watch the sunsets every night and you can’t find a parking spot to surf or go beach at your once local fav spot?
I would tell you that unfortunately it happens too often everywhere that is popular and it has gotten worse. Some of the Same People, age groups, that Hawaiians desire to come are the ones responsible. Driving tourism away will result in disaster, others will decide not to come also. Police should patrol and keep the order, Fines instead of Fees!
Unfortunately, talks to get the state of Hawaii less dependent on tourism by legislators have only remained all “talk.” We are too entrenched in tourism to realistically move to a more self-sustaining economy. Agriculture and green tech continue to be industries we hope our younger generation can focus on to make the state less dependent on the tourist dollar.
The Younger Generation doesn’t want to work as exhibited by the amount of job opportunities. Agriculture is a viable enterprise but Costly due to land valuation, equipment and such. Hawaii needs to be inventive, creative, and with the correct industries to help break away from tourism. Hawaii isn’t ready to make any commitment for the future other than Tourism. Tried and True Money Making off of the backs of others!
That’s hilarious! How many of the hotels do you think are owned by Hawaiians? I think the Hawaiians we’re fine by themselves until the colonizers came and started exploiting the islands. Do you really think the colonizers came before the Hawaiians?
$30 is usury for beach parking outside Waikiki. Guess we’ll go to other beaches, or park elsewhere and walk.
BOH Guys;
I’ve done a little research. Here are the stats for the number of (total) visitors to Hawaii past and estimated: (from debt . Hawaii. gov website)
2019 (pre-covid) 10.2M
2020 2.7M
2021 6.7M
2022 (estimated) 9.2M
2023 9.8M
2024 10.2M
2025 10.5M
Note that the number pre-covid is less than the projected number for the next two years. What really is going on here? Perhaps there is a bit of over-reaction? Would really like to hear your opinion on this.
So while I understand that QOL and sustainable tourism
So while I understand that QOL and sustainable tourism are important to all concerned I am at a loss to understand why there is so much animosity.
Hi Mike.
Overall tourism numbers are, at this point, mostly down due to the lack of international visitors. So when you say overreaction, do you mean the state or residents are overreacting?
Aloha.
Not to beat a dead horse… Im an older gent and remember a much more mellow Kauai, but what do you expect when you have so many flights going in and out. Now I hear Delta is adding another direct flight. I don’t see how adding more fees is really going to do much to stop the inundation. The cruise ships are another problem. But that is a subject for later. Aloha
Thanks for the reply. I guess I would phrase my question this way. I see (over)reaction on all sides of this issue. I think that the HI residents got spoiled during covid not having all those visitors around (understandable). The state reacted to residents concerns by coming up with a plan to get fewer tourists who spend more thus keeping revenues the same. Visitors are reacting because they don’t like paying more. The debate seems to be getting more vituperative.
It’s all pretty simple for me. I don’t go to HI at the drop of a hat but I am willing to pay more if it guarantees a better QOL for residents and a sustainable, enjoyable visitor experience. I’m just entirely not sure this plan will work.
Hi Mike.
We aren’t sure where this will all end up either. It’s a work in process and the state and its marketing partners are – well, don’t get us started. At the end of the day, Hawaii has to provide an excellent product where the perceived value is equal to or greater than the amount visitors spend. And that in relation to other current options, which are definitely going up in cost at the same time.
Aloha.
Simply Put, Covid restrictions forced people to hibernate and now that it is over people are fulfilling their bucket list for travel. After a Transitional phase of a few to several years things may reduce to a more normal number. I believe that much of this will depend upon world events. 3 to 5 years it should be normal again if the numbers are close to accurate. If Hawaiians dissuade tourism all bets are off.