When Sarah from Colorado tried to book Haena State Park access on North Shore Kauai for her December trip, she wrote to tell us she set an alarm for early November to log on at midnight Hawaii time, which was 3 a.m. for her. Even booking exactly 30 days in advance, her preferred dates and times were already gone within minutes.
Her family of four eventually secured spots, but only after spending a considerable amount of time over several days figuring out how to jump through hoops to make it work. She said she’s still confused about which parks require reservations, which need permits, and which don’t.
Her story is far from unique. Visitors and even residents now face the same question: what rules will they face by the time they arrive? They see headlines about new regulations, followed by uncertainty about whether those rules will be in effect. Across Hawaii, visitors face the same frustration with systems they say change faster than they can plan.
Rules that never seem settled.
Across the islands, policies aimed at managing tourism often launch with grand announcements but fade before they become familiar. Some systems, such as Hanauma Bay and Haena State Park, eventually work, and offering visitors multiple booking options can be helpful.
Haena State Park has a shuttle option. Hanauma Bay now offers both City of Honolulu reservations (opening 48 hours in advance at 7 a.m. and selling out in minutes) and more costly private tour packages, bookable 60 days in advance.
Meanwhile, other promised systems for high-traffic parks don’t materialize. Maui’s visitor parking programs, announced in 2022 for locations like the Kamaole Beach parks, are still not in place.
For visitors, this means confusion and pressure to meet deadlines in order to have a cohesive vacation. Rules announced for one county rarely match what’s happening on another one. The result isn’t lawlessness, just fatigue. Hawaii continually emphasizes the need for a balance between residents and travelers, but the constant revisions and uneven application of rules make that balance increasingly difficult to achieve.
Fees that rise faster than expectations.
Hawaii has increasingly turned to fees to fund park maintenance and manage visitor demand. Hotel taxes now total 19% statewide, among the highest in the country. Add to that resort fees in Waikiki that average $52 a night. Yet visitors still find broken restrooms at popular parks and roads that haven’t been repaired in years.
Some properties have now even added carbon or sustainability surcharges during the checkout process. Travelers keep paying more but see little sign that their money is improving the experience. It echoes what readers told us in Visitors Say Hawaii’s New Fees Cross The Line.
The housing contradiction.
Officials argue that restricting vacation rentals will make more homes available for residents, but the numbers don’t entirely support this claim. Thousands of listings could disappear over time, while rents continue climbing, and severe shortages persist. Hawaii needs more housing overall, yet the focus stays on limiting vacation rentals. The result is fewer options for travelers and no real relief for local families. Both sides lose.
Promises that fade.
Airport modernization was intended to speed up arrivals and departures, and while construction across the state continues, major improvements at the airports are being completed slowly, in phases. Honolulu’s rail project has been underway for more than a decade and still feels far from finished in any fully useful sense. Beach access and park facilities are stuck in studies and hearings. Meanwhile, visitors notice the cracks. Parking lots fill by mid-morning.
Even outdoor infrastructure suffers. Sacred Falls on Oahu has been closed since 1999 after a deadly rockslide. The Haiku Stairs have been off-limits since the 1980s and remain at the center of a long-running removal dispute. Despite years of discussion, nothing is resolved. Repeated trespassing shows how unmet demand, social media, and uneven enforcement have created new safety and liability risks.
A message that keeps shifting.
Hawaii’s marketing voice has evolved as the state works to define sustainable tourism. Campaigns around mindful travel, regenerative tourism, and high-value visitors reflect real efforts to find balance, though the shifting language can still feel unclear to travelers trying to understand what kind of visitor Hawaii actually wants and whether they still fit in. Families who saved for years to bring their kids now wonder if they’re still welcome. Repeat visitors, once the very core of Hawaii travel, who’ve supported the islands for decades, say they feel targeted instead of appreciated. The state can’t seem to decide what kind of tourism it actually wants or how to make it all happen.
Dependence that never ends.
For decades, Hawaii has promised to diversify its economy. Yet, visitor spending and hotel taxes still fund a significant portion of the state’s budget. Every time arrivals dip, panic follows. Hawaii discusses reducing its dependence on tourism while relying on it more heavily than ever, as explored in Is It Too Late For Hawaii To Diversify? Raising visitor costs without creating alternatives only makes the imbalance worse.
The cost of confusion.
Today’s visitors must check rental permits, parking rules, park reservations, and beach safety updates before even starting a Hawaii vacation. Trips that used to feel simple and spontaneous now require significant research. Longtime visitors comment that the uncertainty is exhausting. For many, Hawaii feels less like the effortless escape that once defined it and more like a test of patience and planning.
What could actually work.
Some systems do function when given time to settle. Hanauma Bay’s reservation model, while imperfect, now offers both advance booking through Roberts Hawaii and last-minute city options.
Other systems create confusion in different ways. Waimea Canyon and Kokee State Parks on Kauai have introduced parking fees and access rules, but upkeep and enforcement haven’t kept pace. Visitors find bathrooms in poor condition and maintenance spotty, with enforcement that varies by day.
North Shore Kauai’s permit system works well for those who understand it. The challenge isn’t that Hawaii can’t create workable policies. It’s that new announcements arrive before old systems have a chance to become routine and clearly communicated with those they impact.
Hawaii could benefit from a single statewide visitor information portal that consolidates park reservations, parking rules, permit requirements, and fee schedules across all islands and counties. Travelers shouldn’t need to search four county websites, multiple state agencies, and private operators just to understand basic access rules for vacation planning.
Hawaii has always managed competing demands. The islands can create tourism systems that work for everyone. What’s needed now is stability, transparency, and the patience to let good policies prove themselves.
What’s been your own experience navigating Hawaii’s changing rules?
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As you note in the article, Hawaii is not clear about what it wants. The larger question is how long before more businesses close, rentals fail, the standard of living declines and public services deteriorate (due to reduced state and local revenue), before the State figures it out?
Hawaii is not alone in dealing with “overtourism,” but it is now facing “undertourism” thanks to a vanished spirit of Aloha. The Lahaina tragedy is only part of the problem. It starts with short-sighted, pandering politicians who choose to ignore economic realities. There are solutions that protect Hawaii’s natural beauty and resources while maintaining the tourist engine that is central to economic health. But they don’t involve telling tourists how to behave or choosing some sources of tourism to the exclusion of others. They do involve smart land use policies, agricultural incentives and letting the market take care of the rest.
Hawaii really needs to be run as an actual State vs Island by Island.
A unified site for everything- even if it just links to each islands site.
Hawaii > All Parks sorted by Island > each park links to that Islands site on their park.
Rinse and repeat for each resource. I’ve done the same for a SharePoint site for several different regions when we merged so that all the users had one main site.
Dear Hawaiian Government,
If you do not want to be solely reliant on tourism, which is both your double-edged sword and Golden Goose then you – and you alone, need to decide what is the alternative source of income. Why are you not doing banking? Why are you not a pass-thru for gaming operations? Why are you not outsourcing technical talent? Why do you not make businesses attractive to move HQ to Hawai’i? If constituent’s are not getting this, then they need to vote in people that get it and then actually do it.
Very sad to read all these negative comments, but I agree completely with most all of them. Many of HawaIi’s problems are systemic from decades of voting for one party politicians who love and live to tell people how they need to live by their elitist word salad of bureaucratic ever changing rules and regulations. Want proof, look no further than what happened during Covid. These leftist politicians are intoxicated with the pursuit of power over the people, and enabling a bloated government bureaucracy of taxing, spending, and regulating without any limitations or accountability. Sadly other states like CA, NY, IL, NJ, etc. are all doing the same thing, and there all losing population to low tax, low regulation, business friendly states.
I agree that knowing and understaning the system for park reservations is the only way to do it, but it does work. We on the Mainland have an adenture in getting Haena Park reservations – the trick is knowing that parking and entry passes sell out in approximately 3 minutes after midnight Hawaiian time, so the only way it works is to really learn in ahead of time. Shuttle reservations are much more easily available.
But it’s SO much better than it was before the reservation – it was almost impossible to park anywhere near the entrance.
I know it’s hard for first time visitors, but after you go at least once and know when to get reservations for certain places, it’s worth the work.
Hotel taxes are ridiculous. Resort fees are ridiculous. Tourists are nickel and dimed to death at every turn. We used to visit every year, but finally threw in the towel. We’ve happily discovered cheaper places that are just as fun to visit. I highly recommend it.
What are those places that have the attractions similar to Hawaii and reasonable costs?
I mean last time I checked Vegas was getting crazy expensive as well and that’s no Hawaii.
No friggin kidding. For example, the local housing issue arguments are total baloney. This is a real farce. It can be easily and quickly resolved. So many solutions, so little common sense. This is all being manipulated.
Easily and quickly resolved?
How about elaborating in the most broad way?
Tell me, how is the housing issues on Oahu supposed to be fixed easily and quickly?
Remember Hawaii is in a state of drought in every county and every Island.
Where is this housing going to be built? How are you going to get this land? How are you going to supply water and electricity and even roadways to support the increased traffic? Are we to sacrifice farm land for living space to become even more dependent on shipping?
Well, we left our 20 year beautiful Waimea last year because of the medical situaiton…we are in our late 70s and want to ensure we live a bit longer. Very lucky as I needed a heart bypass and 2 brain interventions since. At any rate, what I see here is a continuation that grew consistently since we moved to HI in 2005 or so. Far too much ineffective bureaucracy, trying to respond to all manner of different subgroups about everything at once. Then the tax situation combined with what is, an essentially tourist and U.S. military dependent economy. Tough things, but a pretty medicre and distributed government. And a LOT of resentment about tourists…understandable…but there is simply no alternative. Other than masses of people moving to the mainland.
Sorry….I wish we hadn’t needed to leave, but at another level, a bit relieved about the governance. Oh, and those Very useful annual car safety checks… another symptom albeit maybe small.
Ironically I’m in the process of moving to Waimea(Hawaii Island) but I’ve been born and lived my entire life in Hawaii.
I don’t sense the I’ll will towards tourist as much on Oahu and Hawaii Island that you’ve felt. Maybe because I’m more of a middle wage person so my jobs used to depend on tourists and I saw many of my friends suffer greatly during covid so I’m always mindful of how much the common worker needs tourist to survive.
But if there are negative thoughts it’s usually because of over tourism. Especially to local places like the road to Hana or Waipio Valley where it’s someone’s actual home area but it’s being overrun. I mean even Japan is tiring of tourist and getting backlash as overcrowding and bad behavior and sapping their goodwill.
But hey, at least my safety check on my brand new car is good for Two years lol. It’s a good in theory practice but everyone know they don’t check the actual items on the safety check…that would take over an hour.
Worse than Disneyworld’s appified garbage theme parks; it’s one of the reasons we will never go. Hawaii requiring all to have their faces buried in a smartphone everywhere, and all the time.
Hard pass. I’d rather stay home and watch streaming, play video games, hike my neighborhood, and make great food that costs a mere 5% of outrageous Island pricing.
What about the idea of holding back some number of walk-up slots every day. Some families decide plans more on the fly, and not everything can be locked in 30 days ahead. Seems easy.
I wrote to our property manager asking which places required permits and never heard back. I booked anyway and hope for the best. A simple checklist from hosts would save a lot of grief.
Hawaii used to be our go to vacation spot. This year we skipped it and tried cruising for the first time. It will be a while before we look at Hawaii again. While we hope to one day return, the high prices, fees and tourist resentment are sending their intended message of “stay away”. That said, travel costs in general are on the rise and few places offer the natural beauty of Hawaii.
We will get up at 6 a.m. in Pennsylvania to snag a Haena pass. Worth it when it works. Waimea Canyon and Kalalau Lookout could use similar crowd control, especially on cruise ship days.
We have quit going to certain spots because the process is too complicated. Also, restrooms please. It should not be this hard to find a clean, open bathroom, especially in a paid park.
I support Haena limits, but seeing so many empty parking stalls while the shuttle is pushed as the only option is frustrating. Please balance the mix so it does not feel like a visitor funnel.
I am actually in Hawaii now. We missed a couple of things because the slots were gone, so we found other plans and it worked out just fine. The islands are full of good Plan B days, and I for one am glad residents do not have to pay to enjoy their own home.
We use timed entry in Banff now, so I get the idea. The difference is communication. I want to follow the rules, but it should not take vising a bunch of different websites to figure them out.
A statewide access page would go far in helping everyone. When you are planning a trip, it is hard to remember which places need permits, which need timed tickets, and where to reserve.
Small correction on Diamond Head. Yes you cannot book more than 30 days out, but same-day slots do appear. Hotels and hosts should tell people that.
Not everyone plans months ahead, including me. My last Hawaii trip came together in three days, and the reservation systems felt built for people with perfect calendars, not spontaneous, and certainly not my real life.
It would be best if people just stayed home. There’s far too many cars and rude people on hawaii anyway. We sure don’t need entitled brats who complain about needing a reservation to camp on sacred land.
It is hard thinking of tropical trips and living by appointment times in the same thought. If I wanted to spend my time in lines and timers, I would go to an amusement park. I hope Hawaii finds ways to make it simple or stop calling it relaxing.
We also set alarms for Haena at midnight Hawaii time, and still missed our dates. At some point the vacation starts to feel like a spreadsheet of to do items more than a break.
And to add to all that confusion – just try to make flight reservations. After getting all the way through to payment for a Hawaiian Air flight, it told me to correct the items “in red” – of which there were none. So I buckled up and called. Bad move! My reservations were for 06/11/26. Apparently, in spite of what has always been the tradional 335 days in advance, Hawaiian was only booking through 05/25/26 even though I could see seats already booked. I was told to call Alaska (although our flight – yes, with an Alaska flight number – was on Hawaiian – as they were booking earlier dates. Of course, had to be called back which I missed! What A Mess!
One word alternative: Azores. Just got back. It was awesome.
First visited in 1994 and bought a time share on Kauai. Live on the east coast so it isn’t an easy trip. We came to our second home at least every other year. A few times several years in a row. Our last visit was 2017. Age and health issues have caught up. Don’t think I would enjoy it as much as I did with all the new regulations. Still love Hawaii and especially Kauai. Wish it was the same as when we first visited.
Maui and Hawaii have lost it. To many issues and lack of good Service. It’s all about them. So many other Beautiful other great Tropical places.
It won’t be ling until some entrepreneurial GenZ develops an app to snipe Hawaiian booking systems.