Average nightly rates of $404 (incl. accommodation tax) are helping curtail Hawaii vacation enthusiasm.
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107 thoughts on “Why Hawaii Visitor Decline Persists | Latest Report”
Average nightly rates of $404 (incl. accommodation tax) are helping curtail Hawaii vacation enthusiasm.
I am not visiting because I have repeatedly heard that Hawaiians don’t like tourists. After Jason Momoa said to stay away from Maui, I did some more googling and found out that that attitude is prevalent throughout Hawaii. I am not going to spend a lot of money to go somewhere where people don’t want me or my money.
I would like to comment on why tourism may be declining. Airfares are up by 25- 40% over what we paid pre Covid. It is now $1000.00 per person to fly from Alberta Canada. I also think the multiple costs for the short term vacation rentals has gone up as well making it more unaffordable. I know it is a fine line between tourist dollars bring jobs and local Hawaiians resenting the tourists which makes us fell uncomfortable. These three reasons may be contributing in the reduction of tourists visiting. I have a booking for March but may cancel because of the airfare and the higher rates overall in Hawaii, even though I will lose my deposit. The current currency rate between CAD $ and US $ is over 40% and that is also a big reason Canadians can not afford to go either.
The entire issue began with White Lotus and the idea that tourists are all rich and entitled and the welcome mat began to roll up. With the lack of tourism during covid, locals got used to having their parking and beaches back. No thought that the high rental taxes continued to be paid by STR owners. Taxes that keep locals taxes lower.
And the tourisim message was Stay Away. For those who did return, they were met with additude and higher costs. Hawaii has a huge problem. Get it together before other tropical getaways share the Aloha and the feeling of Hawaii that is lost with money grabbing corporate thinking and jaded locals.
Stop building bland highrise hotels that cost a fortune, and find a way to bring back the Waikiki of the 80’s. Get rid of the ugly International Mkt place and return to something similar to the past with small quaint shops, tropical gardens, local artisans, open air Hawaiian style restaurants. Make people feel that they are experiencing the Hawaiian culture instead of another mainland strip mall with high end stores. Bring back the small wooden structured art galleries that one used to drive by on the way to the North Shore. So many interesting cultural things are gone.
Too expensive for what you get. Maybe a bit of a decline will force the hotels to do some renovations and updates. Some of the hotels I feel like don’t care because tourists kept coming at ridiculous prices.
Hawaii doesn’t like tourists. It is that simple. I can go to Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Panama, and have a great time at one half or one third of the price. And, all the local people want me there.
The main reason I am going less often is because it’s so damn expensive hotels, car rentals are the worst! Airfare follows has a close third…🤒
$404 a night is a ridiculous price. That’s why people aren’t coming. For the foreseeable future I’m only going to be connecting through Hawaii to other more affordable destinations. I’m going to Vanuatu in October and I only paid $75 a night for a Waterfront Villa! In Hawaii something like that would be $5k a night. Average people can’t afford it anymore.
We were planning a couple’s vacation, because we’ve always wanted to visit, but put simply, the prices were too high for everything – hotels, flights, you name it, so we went to the Caribbean. We’re not poor, but there comes a point when it just seems silly to spend that kind of money on something we can find elsewhere for much less. If Hawaii wants to restrict tourism, I’m all for it – people still have to be able to live on the island, and I applaud the State’s efforts to make that more possible. If the prices keep rising like they have, though, it’s only going to be the super rich visiting, which I hope works for the State. Honestly, I think it would make more sense to ban AirBnb and VRBO so that houses, condos and apartments are only used by people who live in them, and keep the hotels for the tourists, but that’s just me. Seems like otherwise Hawaii is looking at a never-ending cycle of price increases on everything that collapses the economy…
Aloha Will.
Be careful what you wish for. If all the houses and condos and apartments were only occupied by those who live there and the hotels were the only game in town, you can expect the exorbitant hotel rates to explode even further. Are you ready to pay $1000 per night plus fees at a minimum? How about $2000?
I’m confused ? Hawaii tourism chased me away a few years ago. Prices were going up. They wanted rentals restricted. They wanted the number of planes arriving to be cut. Some locals wanted me to not be there. Now they are complaining that tourism is Down ?
I miss Kauai, but have found other great places to enjoy spending my money…..
Controversial subject.
We are blessed to go twice a year. Retired on a fixed income.
We penny pinch and budget all year to pay for the 2 trips.
Everything everyone has said here about out of control $ increases is true.
The middle class and working class like us are being priced out in favor of the rich elite.
Less tourists and the ones who do go spend more $.
We live in SoCal/OC and worked 99 years total in the tourism industry.
Tourism is huge here and we welcome,need,and want you here.
This is what Hawaiians wanted and they got it. Congrats. You killed the Golden Goose!
Could it also be that fewer people want a hotel experience? Someone (besides the hotel industry) should do a study on lodging preferences. I wonder if there’s a trend the Hawaii is fighting?
Hawaii used to be something really special back in the 70’s and 80’s, when sugar cane and pineapples farms were part of the tourist experience. When you took a circle island tour and stopped at some great places to experience the Hawaiian culture and way of life. Now it’s all about fancy price gouging hotels, high end shopping, and restaurant chains. After reading the report and how much the prices have increased since 2019, I’m stunned and saddened. I know things must and do change, but Hawaii’s problem is the government that the locals voted into office and the changes they are making that are ruining the islands for everyone.
Hawaii is out-pricing itself as a tourist destination. Hotel accommodations and restaurant costs keep increasing. The middle class is having a very hard time making ends meet due to the high inflation. As a result, they are either not traveling or taking trips to less costly destinations.
Prices are high. Treatment of tourists is poor by locals. Not planning any more Maui or Kauai trips
If I lived on the mainland there is no way I would travel to Hawaii with hotel room rates on the Big Island over $350/night (plus taxes and resort fees)! Who can afford to pay that? And that’s without the cost of airfare, car rental, and food. As someone who owns a business dependent on tourism, I find this data truly frightening.