tourism down in hawaii

Decline In Hawaii Tourism Starts According To State

The signs have been on the wall for some time. The state has openly wanted it, and the islands concur; Hawaii needs less tourism to attain balance and sustainability. And the universe is responding to that request, which in the end, may not be exactly what Hawaii wanted after all. Time will tell.

Hawaii has been blessed with return visitors, more so than most destinations. In fact, during the first three months of 2022, it’s estimated that 75% of all visitors were returning rather than new. But that will change, and Hawaii will find itself in a highly competitive environment, unlike any time before. We discussed it well before the latest report came out: Why Hawaii’s Repeat Visitors Aren’t Returning – Does Anyone Care?

It is being reported now that this trend is already leading to fewer bookings, which in turn could also have side benefits for future visitors. The no-price-is-too-high plan for Hawaii accommodations, for example, looks like it is on the precipice of collapse. Much more reasonable rates may be returning.

BOH: We expect Hawaii accommodation prices to drop approximately 25% between now and this fall.

The state’s latest Visitor Satisfaction Survey was just released.

Data collected was from nearly 4,000 visitors between January and April 2022. Here are the takeaways and what we can expect going forward. You can also read the report below.

1. Hawaii visitors remain satisfied overall with their experience. In fact, about 90% both rated their Hawaii vacations as excellent and will recommend a Hawaii vacation to others. About half said that their trip exceeded their expectations. But, nonetheless, they’ll be returning in fewer numbers.

2. Cost is the number one reason Hawaii visitors won’t be coming back, as costs rose about 16% between 2021 and 2022. And we think that’s lower than reality. Adding to the dilemma are increased accommodations taxes (which are up 3% compared with last year), and ridiculously high car rental charges, too. Also, by way of annoyance, parking at Hawaii hotels has gone to as much as $65 per night, which we’ve never seen previously. Hawaii has had the most significant increase in cost compared with other worldwide visitor destinations. That’s followed by the perception of a lack of value, overcrowding, and other factors.

3. Post pandemic shutdown, visitors are more desirous than ever to visit new places. Combine that with the lack of an economic paradigm here in Hawaii, and a Europe, Asia, Caribbean, Mexico, or Australia vacation looks pretty good to many. While Hawaii vacations looked like a safe and sane bet a few months ago, international travel is on a rapid rebound pace. In fact, while Hawaii travel begins to wane, Europe is about to exceed all prior visitor numbers.

4. West Coast visitor return intentions dropped by 4.1% to 82.2% compared with visitors surveyed last year. In this annual study, this was the lowest return intention since 2016. East coast visitors are even less likely to return,  -6.6% to 66.6%.

Do you concur with the survey results? We look forward to your input.

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232 thoughts on “Decline In Hawaii Tourism Starts According To State”

Why would anyone pay money to go somewhere they’re not wanted? Tourism killed Hawaii, & I’m not going to be blamed for that. There are plenty of nicer places where the inhabitants actually want visitors and their presence is tolerable to the people who live there.

I am always amazed at those who come to this site to trash Hawaii for needing to strike a balance. There are many ways to have a reasonably inexpensive vacation in Hawaii. Yeah if you want front row beach your going to pay a premium. Anyway stop complaining don’t like it don’t come to Hawaii And to those who’ve stated they didn’t feel safe. Where in the world were you hanging out?

Did anyone else notice that even Joe Biden mentioned exorbitant “resort fees” and extra charges hitting travelers on vacation? Anyone who advertises “no resort fees” and “free parking included” gets our business instantly. I don’t care if the price is a little bit higher, just don’t advertise an artificially lower rate!

That’s why I usually statuary the kahala or halekulani. Yes it’s more than say the Hilton but not much more when you add in the $65 parking and $55 resort fee the Hilton charges per day.

One thing the article really doesn’t focus on is the effects of the recession when added to the out of control post pandemic price increases, increased taxes and the “we don’t want tourists” sentiment that seems to be spreading. Most people plan way in advance when coming to Hawaii because it can be difficult to secure lodging at times. Those people continued to come to Hawaii post pandemic because cancelling would mean losing money, but we are 2 years post pandemic now. People are struggling financially, and luxury vacations are not happening for many people. I think Hawaii is in for a very rough road, much of which was self-induced.

Yes, it was self-induced, but it was definitely by Hawaii’s own design. Hawaii is succeeding in reducing tourism. In fact, the islands would be happy if there wasn’t any tourism at all. Hawaii doesn’t really care what no tourism will do to the tens of thousands of fellow residents that have careers in the tourism industry. Many of the residents want the state to go back to its origins. It’s becoming a well-publicized belief that Hawaii was stolen, and many want things back the way they were, with the lifestyle that existed for centuries before Hawaii was a state. It’s very interesting to watch all of the policies that have been strategically put in place, and to witness the successful results.

Pat G, imagine an oasis with no tourism at all, the melee that Zero Improvement and Upkeep will cause. The Freedom to reduce overpopulation by tossing refuse and sacrificial beings into volcanoes to end the never ending food and water crises. One interesting thing about this takeover would be all of the time share units could become housing.

Pat G, here’s an interesting and accurate assessment of purging all but Native Hawaiians and long time residents from Hawaii. If the Tourism industry were to be banned, every homeowner would need to pick up the State contributions to everything. Each Homeowner would then see an Increase in Property Taxes of At Least $22,000 above what they currently pay to keep things running to a certain point. That alone, with the loss of jobs and Federal Dollars would certainly leave most without their homes. A direct consequence of what you, and others, are proposing. That alone would collapse the Islands Economy and Everything Else. Hawaiians that support this haven’t any idea of what they will bring down upon themselves and others.

Yes, I agree with you, but I don’t think those crusading for this believe that they will be worse off; on the contrary. It’s a different mindset here on the islands. Money is not a primary concern, and there is a lot of anger over perceived injustices. On Maui, two of our most powerful county council members have been driving home these points repeatedly, and they believe all the anti-tourist legislation proposed and bills passed isn’t nearly enough. The anger is palpable, and stronger than any type of financial concern

It is starting to play out now, as prescribed. We’ll just have to wait and see how it goes.

It will be interesting to watch – it’s a well-known cognitive bias to think they can just revert back to “the good ol days”.

It’s like some of the things you see in SFO and Portland – it seems like elected leaders are purposefully trying to bankrupt cities and states.

I absolutely agree with this article. We have in the past visited annually for over 18 years. I feel like it’s my second home. But we have struggled with the idea of returning after skipping last year. I no longer recommend it to my friends. We just didn’t feel safe the last time we were there. There really are so many other places to go that are just as beautiful. I hope Hawaii gets what they want and tourists stay away. Aloha

Dale, the powers that be in Hawaii, including Governor Green, are Dictating new rules for Who should be allowed to vacation in Hawaii. If the word “Budget” is a consideration or even enters your mind then you no longer are a Viable, Desirable, Tourist. The fact that You own physical property, not Timeshares, doesn’t automatically qualify you anymore as you’re probably part of the problem of unaffordable and unavailable housing for residents. Just because someone isn’t considered Upper Income, Wealthy, Rich, “Ripe for the Picking,” they should go elsewhere, everyone should follow Their Decrees. I have spent much more time vacationing elsewhere and saving money for more. Hawaii can survive, thrive, or flounder on their whims!

Dale prior to visiting Hawaii, Oahu specifically, I had heard so much of the Beauty, Splendor, the Aloha. Upon the very first visit Everything was proven true and beyond, we knew that we would be back as often as possible. Even as prices increased we have continued. Do we feel safe? Less each time recently. If it were just myself, I pity Stupidity. Because we go together our last trip is probably in view as are so many others. We have supported the growth and livelihoods of multitudes of common people with our money just to be unwanted, flounder isn’t just a fish. We can spend less on each vacation and go more often, enjoying ourselves.

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Maui Travel Updates

Maui Recovery

On August 8, 2023, wildfires resulted in the devastating loss of loved ones, homes, cultural and historical sites, and businesses in Lahaina, located in West Maui. We extend our deepest condolences and heartfelt aloha to all those who have been affected by this tragedy. We also urge visitors throughout Hawai‘i to be especially mindful and respectful in our island home as our community continues through this extremely difficult time.   The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority is continuously coordinating efforts with federal, state and county emergency management officials, as well as our community partners, visitor industry and Global Marketing Team. We are also providing updates to our travel partners — airlines, accommodations, ground transportation companies, activity providers, travel agents, and wholesalers, as well as to local, national and international media — to ensure the public is kept informed.

While Lahaina itself will remain fully closed to the public until further notice out of respect to the town’s residents, West Maui accommodations have reopened to visitors.

Latest News

February 15, 2024

Mākaukau Maui - We Are Ready

With a deep commitment to our community’s well-being, West Maui is ready to return a comforting sense of stability to the lives of its residents. Reopening our doors is one step towards reducing the uncertainties that weigh on our shoulders. It also ensures our community has the jobs and financial opportunities to thrive. On the horizon is a new day. As one, Maui is moving forward – hopeful and optimistic that it can share its culture with those beyond our shores. Learn more at: https://makaukaumaui.com .  

Hawai‘i Tourism Authority Board Approves Action Plan to Support Maui’s Recovery in 2024

On December 22, 2023, the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority Board of Directors furthered its ongoing commitment to mālama Maui and support the island’s recovery by approving an immediate six-month action plan for 2024 to help address major challenges confronting residents, small businesses, visitor industry providers, Maui’s economy, and families seeking housing. Learn more here .   The action plan is designed to fulfill tourism’s responsibilities in alliance with the leadership established by Governor Josh Green, M.D. and within the broader scope of Maui’s recovery efforts being conducted by the State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) and other state agencies. HTA’s full report identifying major strategies and not only short-term but also mid- and long-term recommendations is being provided to DBEDT in their role coordinating the State’s Economic Recovery Support Functions. Read the full report .

Hawai‘i Tourism Authority Board Of Directors Approves $2.6 Million In Funding For Maui Marketing Recovery Plan

HTA's Board of Directors took decisive action at its monthly board meeting on August 31 to approve $2.6 million in funding to launch the Maui Marketing Recovery Plan , which is centered around a new Mālama Maui campaign with heartfelt messages shared by kama‘āina of Maui. The plan's focus is to rebuild responsible travel demand from the United States market to Maui in the wake of the devastating Lahaina wildfires. Watch the board meeting . HTA staff and board members were on Maui throughout August to meet with residents and business owners and listen to them about the challenges they now face with visitor arrivals decreasing significantly since August 8. Visitors help to support the economy, supporting local shops, local restaurants, and local activities which ultimately aids in the island’s overall recovery efforts.

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NOTE: While multiple dictionary sources propose "Lāhainā" as the old pronunciation for the region, living kūpuna, mānaleo and recordings of mānaleo serve to demonstrate that the contemporary pronunciation is Lahaina. Heeding the call from the Lahaina community, HTA uses the spelling Lahaina across all platforms.

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Tourism return comes amid plunging arrivals, spending

Visitor counts fell nearly 60%, spending declined 49% in august.

The Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa is virtually a ghost town on Sept. 22. Visitor arrivals to Maui plummeted after the Aug. 8 wildfires but are expected to return with the reopening of tourism in West Maui on Sunday, which the governor says is necessary to get people back to work but others say is too soon for a traumatized community. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

Tourism on Maui in August took a major hit from the fires in Lahaina and Kula, sending visitor arrivals down nearly 60 percent from last year and cutting visitor spending in half compared to 2022.

Maui saw 112,259 visitors in August, down 57.8 percent from 266,176 visitors in August 2022, while spending went from $484 million at the same time last year to $246.7 million in August, according to preliminary statistics released by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism last week.

August arrival numbers were the lowest since February 2021, when there were 92,611 visitors. Spending was also the lowest since March 2021, when visitors spent $262.3 million.

The University of Hawai’i Economic Research Organization said that travelers responded to the fires’ horror and early appeals to stay away and that Maui lost more than $13 million in visitor spending each day in the weeks following the fires.

Employment effects of the fires “have been rapid and severe,” with the fires destroying “the vast majority of businesses and jobs in Lahaina,” UHERO said in its 2023 third quarter forecast report on Sept. 22. Local businesses across Maui are also struggling from the lower visitor numbers.

UHERO predicted that Maui unemployment “will soar above” 11 percent in the fourth quarter and will not dip below 4 percent until late 2026.

Normally there would be 130 to 140 unemployment claims on Maui per week, but in the first week of the fires there were around 800, followed by more than 4,000 unemployment claims the next week, UHERO Executive Director Carl Bonham said in a “UHERO Focus” video. If the claims are added together since the fire, the total is close to 10,000 filings, or 11 to 12 percent of the workforce on Maui, Bonham said.

Tax revenue will also be hit hard, according to UHERO. But the reopening of West Maui to tourism on Sunday will help to reduce revenue losses, as will Maui’s 0.5 percent general excise tax surcharge that begins Jan. 1. Some areas are already seeing “the beginnings of Maui tourism recovery,” with Central and South Maui resorts being the first areas “to see substantial recovery,” UHERO said.

Bonham attributed this to airlines such as Alaska and Hawaiian putting out “extremely attractive” airfares to Maui.

Even with the reopening of tourism in West Maui, “we expect recovery there to be gradual,” UHERO said.

Tourism remains a major driver for Maui and the state — Bonham said that about 40 percent of Maui’s economy is from tourism, and that visitor spending on Maui makes up about one-third of visitor spending in the state.

Gov. Josh Green announced in early September that West Maui would reopen to tourism this month, citing the need to get residents back to work and prevent them from having to leave the island. Last week, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen announced a phased approach, with a staggered return of tourism to the west side hotel properties and areas.

On Sunday, The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua will reopen along with areas from Kapalua to Kahana Villa, the county said. The next phase will be Mahinahina to Maui Kaanapali Villas, following an assessment of the first phase. The area from the Royal Lahaina Resort to the Hyatt Regency will be the last phase to give displaced residents sheltered in the area more time to find housing options.

But residents have testified before the Maui County Council and at other meetings, saying they do not want the visitors back yet as some residents are still having a hard time dealing with the tragedy and putting their lives back to together.

On Tuesday, West Maui residents delivered a petition to the governor’s office in the State Capitol on Oahu with more than 10,000 signatures urging Green to push back the reopening date. The online petition had more than 16,000 signatures as of Thursday.

With the fires keeping tourists away, Maui County’s hotels saw drops in occupancy, average daily rates and revenue per available room in August.

The county had a 52.2 percent occupancy rate in August, down 16.4 percentage points versus the 68.6 percent seen in August 2022. Average daily rates in the county were $563.62, down 8.6 percent compared to the average daily rate of $616.50 seen in 2022. Revenue per available room in August was $294.02, down 30.4 percent versus 2022, when revenue per available room was at $422.63.

As expected, hotels in the Lahaina, Kaanapali and Kapalua areas saw some of the more significant drops in August.

Occupancy was at 45.4 percent, down 26.4 percentage points versus August 2022, when West Maui hotels were 71.8 percent occupied.

Average daily room rates were slightly down at $515.13 in August, a decline of 4.2 percent compared to the rate of $537.82 in August 2022.

Revenue per available room for the West Maui hotels was at $233.90 in August, down 39.4 percent versus the $386.11 seen in August 2022.

The aftermath of the fires also ate away at tourism at Maui’s luxury region in Wailea, although the area still had some of the highest rates and room revenue across the state in August.

Occupancy in Wailea was at 56.5 percent in August, down 3.2 percentage points compared to 59.6 percent in August 2022.

Average daily rates were $816.62, down 20.3 percent versus August 2022, when average daily rates were $1,024.77.

Revenue per available room was $461.11, down 24.5 percent compared to August 2022, which saw room revenue at $611.

The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism further explained the decrease in visitors to Maui as due in part to fewer flights, as 88 direct trans-Pacific flights to Kahului in August were canceled due to the Lahaina fire. This included 68 flights from the U.S. West, seven flights from the U.S. East and 13 flights from Canada.

Also in August, the Pride of America cruise ship that usually spends two days in Kahului Harbor on each seven-day inter-island tour canceled its port of calls to Kahului, instead adding one more day in Hilo and one more day at Nawiliwili on Kauai for each tour for the last three weeks of the month.

DBEDT Director James Kunane Tokioka said in a news release that as the state welcomes the return of visitors to West Maui, including Napili, Kaanapali, Honokowai and Kapalua, “we will be supporting Maui’s economy and keeping our people employed so they can continue to live on Maui and recover.”

“We encourage respectful travel, supporting local businesses, and participation in volunteer opportunities that malama (give back to) Hawaii,” he said.

For more information on how to volunteer while in the islands, see gohawaii.com/malama.

* Staff Writer Melissa Tanji can be reached at [email protected].

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Tourists Were Told to Avoid Maui. Many Workers Want Them Back.

A plunge in tourism after a disastrous fire has already crippled the economy in Maui. Now, some locals who wanted visitors to stay away are urging them back.

By Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Reporting from Paia and Kahului, Hawaii

In the first few days after an inferno leveled the Hawaiian town of Lahaina, the directive to tourists was emphatic: Stay away. And tourists, with a few exceptions, complied.

As it turns out, maybe too well.

Nearly a month after the fire, Maui, a tourism-dependent island with a hotel room for every seven and a half households, is hosting fewer visitors than at any point since the coronavirus pandemic. Pristine beaches sit empty, even those that are many miles from Lahaina. Hundreds of unused rental cars are parked in fields near the island’s main airport in Kahului, where planes arrive half full. Beds are made and pillows are fluffed in hotel rooms where no one has laid a head in weeks.

All of it means that the workers who form the backbone of Hawaii’s welcoming aloha spirit are now struggling. In some of Maui’s fanciest resorts, employees are being sent home with no work and no pay.

“Right now, it’s hard to think about the future and if we’re going to make next month’s rent,” said Owen Wegner, a line cook at the Grand Wailea resort in South Maui, some 30 miles outside the burn zone. He has only been called in to work two shifts in the past two weeks.

Mr. Wegner, 20, was born and raised in Lahaina and used to play a snare drum during parades down Front Street, the town’s once-idyllic commercial thoroughfare along the ocean. The fire on Aug. 8 turned the street into a graveyard of charred cars and burned buildings — and became the nation’s deadliest wildfire in a century, claiming at least 115 lives. Among them was Mr. Wegner’s grandmother, Lynn Manibog, who had helped raise him.

Mr. Wegner has had almost no time to grieve. Instead, he has been trying to figure out how to provide for his partner, Sabrina Kaitlyn Cuadro; their 1-year-old son and their daughter, who is due to be born on Sept. 5. That’s also the last day they can pay their monthly rent before late fees kick in.

“Me and her are under a lot of stress,” Mr. Wegner said.

The implosion of Maui’s economy, of which tourism comprises about 40 percent , has been swift and severe. State economic officials estimate that the island is seeing about 4,250 fewer visitors each day than normal, representing a loss of $9 million a day. In South Maui, seven of every 10 hotel rooms sit empty, compared with about two in 10 during normal times.

The plummeting numbers follow contradictory pleas from Hawaii’s politicians and residents. The governor and lieutenant governor issued emergency proclamations in the first days after the fire, saying that all nonessential travel to Maui was “strongly discouraged.”

Days later, Gov. Josh Green issued a revised order limiting its scope to the region of the fire, West Maui, which makes up only a small portion of the island. But tourism officials fear that prospective visitors may not be familiar with the island’s geography. Now, many politicians , workers and industry leaders are making a new plea to tourists: Come back.

“We stress that West Maui is not currently the place for people to go, but the rest of Maui is open,” Richard Bissen, the Maui County mayor, said this week.

Jerry Gibson, the president of the Hawaii Hotel Alliance, said he had been trying to get the message out that Maui’s south side — home to luxury hotels, condos and restaurants — was eager for the arrival of suitcase-lugging families.

“The south side of Maui is wide open,” Mr. Gibson said. “Tragically, right now, because of the earlier message, tourism is not coming in there.”

Maui residents have remained consistent that visitors should avoid all of West Maui, which continues to be a hub for displaced families. Hotels there are housing more than 5,000 people who are not tourists, including families who lost homes, government relief officials, aid organizations and cleanup crews. Locals have also warned people against clogging up the highway in a quest to see the destroyed town of Lahaina. They remind tourists elsewhere on the island to be sensitive to the fact that people they encounter may have lost their own homes or have connections to people who perished.

There has long been tension between Hawaii locals and tourists , and some residents have argued that the sharp drop in revenue Maui now faces is a sign that the state should prioritize residents over tourists and rely on more sustainable industries.

Chris West, president of the local International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which also represents workers in the tourism and pineapple industries, said that he and other Native Hawaiians have complicated feelings about tourists, but that their return was needed to sustain the economy.

“So visit, but be respectful, and we can coexist,” Mr. West said.

In Paia, a colorful town brimming with stores and restaurants on the North Shore, shops are usually hopping, even on a weekday afternoon. There is typically a long line to order at the Paia Fish Market ; a stream of people peering into the window at Mele Ukulele ; and tourists finding shade on the front patio of Tobi’s Poke & Shave Ice .

But many of the stores were eerily empty on a recent weekday, and at one local pizzeria there were so many empty booths that the general manager had plopped himself into one to get some work done. Two men sat alone at the bar.

Annie Mullen, who has worked at the restaurant off and on for the last 12 years, said that business had come nearly to “a full stop” since the fire in Lahaina, about a 45-minute drive away. Ms. Mullen said she felt guilty for worrying about her employees’ paychecks, and her own, when so many people had died. But she said she feared things would get worse if visitors continued to stay away.

“It’s really hard to navigate the grief and the shock of what horrific event just took place, but then also to have to feel selfishly worried about finances at the same time,” she said.

Nick Rodriguez, the general manager, said that in just a few weeks, he had gone from “begging for people to come work for us” to having to turn people away.

State data shows that more than 5,300 people on Maui filed initial unemployment claims in roughly the first two weeks after the fire. In normal weeks, the number of claims is closer to 120.

Many of the businesses in Paia have donated a portion of their earnings to Lahaina recovery efforts.

Down the block from the pizza shop is Wings Hawaii , a boutique selling jewelry, clothing, stickers and other beachy trinkets. Becky Dosh, one of the shop’s co-founders, said that foot traffic had plunged. One bright spot has been the new stickers the shop is offering to support Lahaina and raise money for relief efforts. Hundreds have been sold online, she said.

Ms. Dosh, who moved to Hawaii in 1999, said she thought the initial drop in tourism was helpful to allow people to grieve and begin to regroup.

“And now, people are all asking how they can help,” Ms. Dosh said. “We’ve just been telling people, actually, coming here would be really helpful.”

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs reports on national news. He is from upstate New York and previously reported in Baltimore, Albany, and Isla Vista, Calif. More about Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Hawaii overtourism: Residents beg tourists to stop visiting amid post-pandemic boom

Tens of thousands of extra tourists are making Hawaii’s roads, beaches and restaurants practically unusable.

Hawai'i is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world - with plenty of history, culture, and natural attraction to explore, what's not to love?

But being one of the top destinations for holidaymakers isn't all it's cracked up to be. The island state is burdened by overtourism - and it's becoming a big problem. 

Last year, tens of thousands of extra US tourists left Hawai'i in turmoil as it struggled to cope with unprecedented tourism demands .

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All fully vaccinated travellers from the US were invited to skip quarantine and pre-flight testing last year, resulting in a host of complications across the group of islands.

Hospitality worker shortages, congested roads and 90-minute restaurant waiting times were just some of the problems the state tried to navigate last summer.

Plus, videos on social media showed tourists touching endangered Hawaiian monk seals and hiking on forbidden trails like Diamond Head (which has since implemented a reservation-only booking system to curb visitor numbers). 

Videos on social media showed tourists touching endangered Hawaiian monk seals and hiking on forbidden trails like Diamond Head.

One local Mayor went as far as to ask airlines to assist the state by decreasing the amount of incoming flights arriving there.

“We’re asking for just a pause, if you want to use that term,” Mayor Mike Victorino said at a press conference.

“We don’t have the authority to say ‘stop,’ but we’re asking the powers that be to help us in this sense.”

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Why did airlines fail to cooperate?

Hawaii’s close proximity to the United States means that it has taken the full brunt of tourists using relaxed travel restrictions as an opportunity for an island escape .

Mayor Victorino is responsible for overseeing the state’s second-largest island, Maui - one of the areas most stretched by increased demand.

Its 30 miles of unspoiled beaches draw in up to 300,000 arrivals each month, but current visitor numbers exceed even pre-pandemic levels.

For the first three days of its summer season in July last year, it received 35,000 tourists each day - providing airlines little reason to listen to the Mayor’s requests.

What do the residents of Hawai'i think of this influx?

Residents of Maui were recently left dismayed following news of a water shortage that would see them fined $500 (€426) for washing their cars, watering their lawns, and a list of other “non-essential” water-related activities.

People took to social media to express their concerns about the level of tourism in their areas.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mele❤️ (@melemaikalanimakalapuaa)

View this post on Instagram A post shared by End_Hate_In_Hawaii (@end_hate_in_hawaii)

Others feared the spread of COVID variants was causing already stretched businesses to serve at 50 per cent capacity on some islands in the archipelago.

If we’re limiting social gatherings, we cannot allow 1million tourists into Hawaii/month. It’s uncool to tell locals to keep apart, when we see groups of 5-10 tourists walking around town. *Limiting air travel* to/from Hawaii is the most effective way to curb COVID transmission. — Ilima De Costa🦋 (@kbaygirl) August 11, 2021

“What about our Hawaii economy and the tourists industry?” Our dependency on it is our sickness! — Kainoa Keanaaina (@kaikeanaaina) August 10, 2021

“For more than a year, COVID-19 stopped everybody from going almost everywhere,” Victorino explains.

“And so now Maui has become - and the state of Hawai'i - a focus point for that pent-up demand. We’d like to welcome them, but we also realise that we only have so many beaches.”

Local experts say the high density of constant tourism will mean there is little reprieve for those living in the state.

How can Hawai'i work towards a more sustainable tourism framework?

The situation remains unmanageable for a number of reasons, explains Dr. Jerry Agrusa, Professor of Travel Industry Management at the University of Hawai'i.

“The Delta variant was killing people," he says. So residents of Hawai'i needed to be cautious when approximately a million people were coming into the country.

Dr. Agrusa says there are a number of factors beyond the pandemic that mean tourists and locals across Hawai'i are ending up in less than ideal circumstances.

Some islands that comprise the state are best navigated by rental car, of which supplies are incredibly low. This has caused anger across the board as those who are lucky enough to hire vehicles congest important roads.

“There are so many tourists who just have not been able to travel for the past year and the pent up demand has made some people forget their manners.”

“The restaurants are all full, so people have to wait for sometimes more than an hour to 90 minutes just to get a table. The local residents, as well as the tourists , are all waiting and everyone is not happy when they are hungry and waiting.”

Hospitality workers across the state are being forced to work double time, leading to “tired and angry” workforces and dissatisfied tourists.

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Can US visitors offset the problem?

Dr. Agrusa conducted a study of tourism in the state throughout the month of July last year, that asked hundreds of US visitors what they would be willing to do to ensure their stays benefit Hawai'i and its people.

He found that some of Hawaii’s overtourism problems could be addressed in the price points US visitors are prepared to pay in order to enjoy their stay.

Over three quarters of respondents stated they would be willing to pay more to support tourism experiences that are respectful of Hawaiian culture.

Approximately four out of 10 people also said they’d be happy to increase their restaurant bills by 10 per cent if it meant the food supply chain benefitted local suppliers more.

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Tackling overtourism with excursion prices and public transport

Hawai'i relies heavily on the allure of its natural surroundings to make it a tourist hotspot.

Its community-first approach to island living has allowed it to remain one of the most unspoiled, ecologically diverse places in the world. Ironically, it’s these aspects that suffer the most when the islands are at capacity due to overtourism .

Its community-first approach to island living has allowed it to remain one of the most unspoiled, ecologically diverse places in the world.

Part of the state’s COVID-19 recovery included The Hawaiian Tourism Authority awarding the it a grant of over €1,700,000 towards stewardship programmes that would “manage, conserve, and revitalise Hawaiiʻs natural resources and environment.”

It is now hard at work developing solutions to offset the problems arising from this level of demand and keep its natural resources safe.

Measures including doubling fees on popular activities for out of state tourists and a pilot shuttle bus service have already been implemented to reduce the strain on activity providers and public transport .

Guests wanting to go snorkelling at Oʻahu’s famous Hanauma Nature Bay will now be expected to pay €20 instead of €10. Many local councils are touting the idea of a “ visitor impact fee ” for other attractions, too.

It will take time to establish if a more costly trip to the island is Hawaii’s route out of overtourism.

Locals living there argue that the best way to solve this problem is for people to simply stop travelling to their homeland while it is in its current state. Financial commitments and the post-pandemic rush described by Mayor Victorino make this a near-impossible task.

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Hawaii lawmakers take aim at vacation rentals after Lahaina wildfire worsens Maui housing crisis

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A single mother of two, Amy Chadwick spent years scrimping and saving to buy a house in the town of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui. But after a devastating fire leveled Lahaina in August and reduced Chadwick’s home to white dust , the cheapest rental she could find for her family and dogs cost $10,000 a month.

Chadwick, a fine-dining server, moved to Florida, where she could stretch her homeowners insurance dollars. She’s worried Maui’s exorbitant rental prices, driven in part by vacation rentals that hog a limited housing supply, will hollow out her tight-knit town.

Most people in Lahaina work for hotels, restaurants and tour companies and can’t afford $5,000 to $10,000 a month in rent, she said.

“You’re pushing out an entire community of service industry people. So no one’s going to be able to support the tourism that you’re putting ahead of your community,” Chadwick said by phone from her new home in Satellite Beach on Florida’s Space Coast. “Nothing good is going to come of it unless they take a serious stance, putting their foot down and really regulating these short-term rentals.”

The Aug. 8 wildfire killed 101 people and destroyed housing for 6,200 families, amplifying Maui’s already acute housing shortage and laying bare the enormous presence of vacation rentals in Lahaina. It reminded lawmakers that short-term rentals are an issue across Hawaii, prompting them to consider bills that would give counties the authority to phase them out.

Gov. Josh Green got so frustrated he blurted an expletive during a recent news conference.

“This fire uncovered a clear truth, which is we have too many short-term rentals owned by too many individuals on the mainland and it is b—,” Green said. “And our people deserve housing, here.”

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Aug. 29, 2023

Vacation rentals are a popular alternative to hotels for those seeking kitchens, lower costs and opportunities to sample everyday island life. Supporters say they boost tourism, the state’s biggest employer. Critics revile them for inflating housing costs, upending neighborhoods and contributing to the forces pushing locals and Native Hawaiians to leave Hawaii for less expensive states .

This migration has become a major concern in Lahaina. The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, a nonprofit, estimates at least 1,500 households — or a quarter of those who lost their homes — have left since the August wildfire.

The blaze burned single family homes and apartments in and around downtown, which is the core of Lahaina’s residential housing. An analysis by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization found a relatively low 7.5% of units there were vacation rentals as of February 2023.

Lahaina neighborhoods spared by the fire have a much higher ratio of vacation rentals: About half the housing in Napili, about seven miles north of the burn zone, is short-term rentals.

Lahaina residents begin returning to sites of homes destroyed by deadly wildfire

Some Lahaina residents are returning to their devastated properties for the first time since the historic Hawaiian town was destroyed by wildfire.

Sept. 25, 2023

Napili is where Chadwick thought she found a place to buy when she first went house hunting in 2016. But a Canadian woman secured it with a cash offer and turned it into a vacation rental.

Also outside the burn zone are dozens of short-term rental condominium buildings erected decades ago on land zoned for apartments.

In 1992, Maui County explicitly allowed owners in these buildings to rent units for less than 180 days at a time even without short-term rental permits. Since November, activists have occupied the beach in front of Lahaina’s biggest hotels to push the mayor or governor to use their emergency powers to revoke this exemption.

Money is a powerful incentive for owners to rent to travelers: a 2016 report prepared for the state found a Honolulu vacation rental generates 3.5 times the revenue of a long-term rental.

State Rep. Luke Evslin, the Housing Committee chair, said Maui and Kauai counties have suffered net losses of residential housing in recent years thanks to a paucity of new construction and the conversion of so many homes to short-term rentals.

“Every alarm bell we have should be ringing when we’re literally going backwards in our goal to provide more housing in Hawaii,” he said.

In his own Kauai district, Evslin sees people leaving, becoming homeless or working three jobs to stay afloat.

The Democrat was one of 47 House members who co-sponsored one version of legislation that would allow short-term rentals to be phased out. One objective is to give counties more power after a U.S. judge in 2022 ruled Honolulu violated state law when it attempted to prohibit rentals for less than 90 days. Evslin said that decision left Hawaii’s counties with limited tools, such as property taxes, to control vacation rentals.

Lawmakers also considered trying to boost Hawaii’s housing supply by forcing counties to allow more houses to be built on individual lots. But they watered down the measure after local officials said they were already exploring the idea.

Short-term rental owners said a phase-out would violate their property rights and take their property without compensation, potentially pushing them into foreclosure. Some predicted legal challenges.

Alicia Humiston, president of the Rentals by Owner Awareness Assn., said some areas in West Maui were designed for travelers and therefore lack schools and other infrastructure families need.

“This area in West Maui that is sort of like this resort apartment zone — that’s all north of Lahaina — it was never built to be local living,” Humiston said.

One housing advocate argues that just because a community allowed vacation rentals decades ago doesn’t mean it still needs to now.

“We are not living in the 1990s or in the 1970s,” said Sterling Higa, executive director of Housing Hawaii’s Future. Counties “should have the authority to look at existing laws and reform them as necessary to provide for the public good.”

Courtney Lazo, a real estate agent who is part of Lahaina Strong, the group occupying Kaanapali Beach, said tourists can stay in her hometown now but many locals can’t.

“How do you expect a community to recover and heal and move forward when the people who make Lahaina, Lahaina, aren’t even there anymore?” she said at a recent news conference as her voice quivered. “They’re moving away.”

McAvoy writes for the Associated Press.

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Hawaii's Governor Asks Tourists To Stay Away Because Of COVID

The Associated Press

Hawaii Gov. David Ige is asking people not to visit the islands, and he wants visitors and residents to limit travel to essential purposes as the state struggles with the delta variant. Marco Garcia/AP hide caption

Hawaii Gov. David Ige is asking people not to visit the islands, and he wants visitors and residents to limit travel to essential purposes as the state struggles with the delta variant.

HONOLULU — Hawaii's governor asked Monday that visitors and residents reduce travel to the islands to essential business only while the state struggles to control COVID-19 as the highly contagious delta variant spreads in the community.

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Gov. David Ige wants to curtail travel to Hawaii through the end of October.

"It is a risky time to be traveling right now," he said.

He said restaurant capacity has been restricted and there's limited access to rental cars.

Ige stopped short of a mandate, saying it's a different time now than last year when strict travel rules that required quarantining essentially shut down Hawaii's tourism industry.

"Last year in March, when I first asked for visitors to postpone travel to the islands, we saw a 60% reduction in the traffic to Hawaii," Ige said. "And then certainly, ordering the mandatory quarantine of all incoming visitors reduced travel to the islands by 99.5%, essentially 100% of travelers."

Things are different now with vaccines available and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saying fully vaccinated people can travel domestically.

Ige said he supports Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi's announcement to restrict indoor gatherings to 10 people and outdoor gatherings to 25.

Blangiardi said the rules taking effect Wednesday would apply to weddings and other events.

He's also urging people to get vaccinated.

Hiro Toiya, the city's emergency management director, cited a mathematical modeling tool from the Georgia Institute of Technology to illustrate risks the community faced from large gatherings.

The modeling shows there is a 20% chance that someone in a group of 10 will have the disease given the number of COVID-19 cases on Oahu now. But in a group of 100, there's a 90% chance someone will have it.

"So when you're looking at how transmissible delta is, we really got to control these large gatherings," Toiya said at a news conference. "The status quo is not working, and it's not acceptable."

Multiple Oahu hospitals have filled their regular beds as COVID-19 cases pour into emergency rooms. The city set up a 25-cot tent outside The Queen's Medical Center - West Oahu on Friday to help handle the influx.

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Hawaii lawmakers take aim at vacation rentals after Lahaina wildfire amplifies Maui housing crisis

FILE - Naldo Valentine, who lost his home to the Lahaina wildfire, puts up a light as darkness falls at a housing protest on Kaanapali Beach Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. A group of survivors were camping on the resort beach to protest and raise awareness for better long-term housing options for those displaced. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

FILE - Carlos Lamas looks out to the sea from his spot at the “Fish-in” protest on, Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. Lahaina Strong has set up a “Fish-in” to protest living accommodations for those displaced by the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfire, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. (AP Photo/Ty O’Neil, File)

This 2023 image provided by Amy Chadwick shows where her home used to stand after a wildfire in Lahaina, on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Chadwick moved to Florida where she could stretch her homeowners insurance dollars. She’s worried Maui’s exorbitant rental prices, which she blames in part on vacation rentals hogging up limited housing supply, will hollow out her tight-knit town by similarly forcing others to leave. (Amy Chadwick via AP)

Amy Chadwick, stands by map of Hawaii at her current home Monday, April 8, 2024, in Satellite Beach, Fla. Chadwick, a victim of the fires in Hawaii moved to Florida where she could stretch her homeowners insurance dollars while she waits for her lot to be cleared and for permission to rebuild. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

This July 2023 image provided by Amy Chadwick shows the backyard of her home in Lahaina, on the Hawaiian island of Maui. The home was destroyed in the Lahaina wildfire. Chadwick moved to Florida where she could stretch her homeowners insurance dollars. She’s worried Maui’s exorbitant rental prices, which she blames in part on vacation rentals hogging up limited housing supply, will hollow out her tight-knit town by similarly forcing others to leave. (Amy Chadwick via AP)

Amy Chadwick poses at her current home with her pets, Monday, April 8, 2024, in Satellite Beach, Fla. Chadwick, a victim of the fires in Hawaii, moved to Florida where she could stretch her homeowners insurance dollars while she waits for her lot to be cleared and for permission to rebuild. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Amy Chadwick poses outside her current home Monday, April 8, 2024, in Satellite Beach, Fla. Chadwick, a victim of the fires in Hawaii, moved to Florida where she could stretch her homeowners insurance dollars while she waits for her lot to be cleared and for permission to rebuild. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Amy Chadwick poses her current home Monday, April 8, 2024, in Satellite Beach, Fla. Chadwick, a victim of the fires in Hawaii moved to Florida where she could stretch her homeowners insurance dollars while she waits for her lot to be cleared and for permission to rebuild. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

This 2021 image provided by Amy Chadwick shows her home in Lahaina, on the Hawaiian island of Maui. The home was destroyed in the Lahaina wildfire. Chadwick moved to Florida where she could stretch her homeowners insurance dollars. She’s worried Maui’s exorbitant rental prices, which she blames in part on vacation rentals hogging up limited housing supply, will hollow out her tight-knit town by similarly forcing others to leave. (Amy Chadwick via AP)

This image provided by Amy Chadwick shows her neighborhood after a wildfire destroyed her home in Lahaina, on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Chadwick moved to Florida where she could stretch her homeowners insurance dollars. She’s worried Maui’s exorbitant rental prices, which she blames in part on vacation rentals hogging up limited housing supply, will hollow out her tight-knit town by similarly forcing others to leave. (Amy Chadwick via AP)

FILE - Burned cars and propane tanks with markings on them sit outside a house destroyed by wildfire, Friday, Dec. 8, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. An acute housing shortage hitting fire survivors on the Hawaiian island of Maui is squeezing out residents even as they try to overcome the loss of loved ones, their homes and their community. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

FILE -A man sets up an umbrella in front of a Lahaina Strong informational sign, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, Kaanapali Beach in Lahaina, Hawaii. An acute housing shortage hitting fire survivors on the Hawaiian island of Maui is squeezing out residents even as they try to overcome the loss of loved ones, their homes and their community. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

FILE - Signs asking people to respect locals and that “Lahaina is not for sale” are seen on the side of the Lahaina Bypass, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. An acute housing shortage hitting fire survivors on the Hawaiian island of Maui is squeezing out residents even as they try to overcome the loss of loved ones, their homes and their community. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

FILE - People walk by a tent with a “Lahaina Strong” flag, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, at Whalers Village on Kaanapali Beach in Lahaina, Hawaii, as a group of wildfire survivors camps on the resort beach to protest and raise awareness for better long-term housing options for those displaced. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

FILE - Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, center, points to damage as he speaks with Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell during a tour of wildfire damage, Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. An acute housing shortage hitting fire survivors on the Hawaiian island of Maui is squeezing out residents even as they try to overcome the loss of loved ones, their homes and their community. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

FILE - The Rev. Ai Hironaka, resident minister of the Lahaina Hongwanji Mission, walks in the parking lot as he visits his temple and residence destroyed by wildfire, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. An acute housing shortage hitting fire survivors on the Hawaiian island of Maui is squeezing out residents even as they try to overcome the loss of loved ones, their homes and their community. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

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HONOLULU (AP) — Amy Chadwick spent years scrimping and saving as a single mother of two to buy a house in the town of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui. But after a devastating fire leveled Lahaina in August and reduced Chadwick’s home to white dust, the cheapest rental she and her now-husband could find for their family and dogs cost $10,000 a month.

Chadwick, a fine-dining server, moved to Florida where she could stretch her homeowners insurance dollars. She’s worried Maui’s exorbitant rental prices, driven in part by vacation rentals that hog a limited housing supply, will hollow out her tight-knit town.

Most people in Lahaina work for hotels, restaurants and tour companies and can’t afford $5,000 to $10,000 a month in rent, she said.

“You’re pushing out an entire community of service industry people. So no one’s going to be able to support the tourism that you’re putting ahead of your community,” Chadwick said by phone from her new home in Satellite Beach on Florida’s Space Coast. “Nothing good is going to come of it unless they take a serious stance, putting their foot down and really regulating these short-term rentals.”

The Aug. 8 wildfire killed 101 people and destroyed housing for 6,200 families, amplifying Maui’s already acute housing shortage and laying bare the enormous presence of vacation rentals in Lahaina. It reminded lawmakers that short-term rentals are an issue across Hawaii, prompting them to consider bills that would give counties the authority to phase them out.

Gov. Josh Green got so frustrated he blurted out an expletive during a recent news conference.

“This fire uncovered a clear truth, which is we have too many short-term rentals owned by too many individuals on the mainland and it is b———t,” Green said. “And our people deserve housing, here.”

Burned cars and propane tanks with markings on them sit outside a house destroyed by wildfire, Friday, Dec. 8, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

Vacation rentals are a popular alternative to hotels for those seeking kitchens, lower costs and opportunities to sample everyday island life. Supporters say they boost tourism, the state’s biggest employer. Critics revile them for inflating housing costs, upending neighborhoods and contributing to the forces pushing locals and Native Hawaiians to leave Hawaii for less expensive states.

This migration has become a major concern in Lahaina. The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, a nonprofit, estimates at least 1,500 households — or a quarter of those who lost their homes — have left since the August wildfire.

This image provided by Amy Chadwick shows her neighborhood after a wildfire destroyed her home in Lahaina, on the Hawaiian island of Maui. (Amy Chadwick via AP)

The blaze burned single family homes and apartments in and around downtown, which is the core of Lahaina’s residential housing. An analysis by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization found a relatively low 7.5% of units there were vacation rentals as of February 2023.

Lahaina neighborhoods spared by the fire have a much higher ratio of vacation rentals: About half the housing in Napili, about 7 miles (11 kilometers) north of the burn zone, is short-term rentals.

Napili is where Chadwick thought she found a place to buy when she first went house hunting in 2016. But a Canadian woman secured it with a cash offer and turned it into a vacation rental.

Also outside the burn zone are dozens of short-term rental condominium buildings erected decades ago on land zoned for apartments.

In 1992, Maui County explicitly allowed owners in these buildings to rent units for less than 180 days at a time even without short-term rental permits. Since November, activists have occupied the beach in front of Lahaina’s biggest hotels to push the mayor or governor to use their emergency powers to revoke this exemption.

Money is a powerful incentive for owners to rent to travelers: a 2016 report prepared for the state found a Honolulu vacation rental generates 3.5 times the revenue of a long-term rental.

People walk by a tent with a “Lahaina Strong” flag, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, at Whalers Village on Kaanapali Beach in Lahaina, Hawaii, as a group of wildfire survivors camps on the resort beach to protest and raise awareness for better long-term housing options for those displaced. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

State Rep. Luke Evslin, the Housing Committee chair, said Maui and Kauai counties have suffered net losses of residential housing in recent years thanks to a paucity of new construction and the conversion of so many homes to short-term rentals.

“Every alarm bell we have should be ringing when we’re literally going backwards in our goal to provide more housing in Hawaii,” he said.

In his own Kauai district, Evslin sees people leaving, becoming homeless or working three jobs to stay afloat.

The Democrat was one of 47 House members who co-sponsored one version of legislation that would allow short-term rentals to be phased out. One objective is to give counties more power after a U.S. judge ruled in 2022 that Honolulu violated state law when it attempted to prohibit rentals for less than 90 days. Evslin said that decision left Hawaii’s counties with limited tools, such as property taxes, to control vacation rentals.

Lawmakers also considered trying to boost Hawaii’s housing supply by forcing counties to allow more houses to be built on individual lots. But they watered down the measure after local officials said they were already exploring the idea.

Short-term rental owners said a phase-out would violate their property rights and take their property without compensation, potentially pushing them into foreclosure. Some predicted legal challenges.

Alicia Humiston, president of the Rentals by Owner Awareness Association, said some areas in West Maui were designed for travelers and therefore lack schools and other infrastructure families need.

“This area in West Maui that is sort of like this resort apartment zone — that’s all north of Lahaina — it was never built to be local living,” Humiston said.

One housing advocate argues that just because a community allowed vacation rentals decades ago doesn’t mean it still needs to now.

“We are not living in the 1990s or in the 1970s,” said Sterling Higa, executive director of Housing Hawaii’s Future. Counties “should have the authority to look at existing laws and reform them as necessary to provide for the public good.”

Courtney Lazo, a real estate agent who is part of Lahaina Strong, the group occupying Kaanapali Beach, said tourists can stay in her hometown now but many locals can’t.

“How do you expect a community to recover and heal and move forward when the people who make Lahaina, Lahaina, aren’t even there anymore?” she said at a recent news conference as her voice quivered. “They’re moving away.”

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Can Hawaii reset its stressed out tourism industry after the pandemic?

The islands has been feeling the weight of a tourism industry that has ballooned to what many believe is beyond the islands’ capacity

On a recent Sunday morning, Makua Beach looks like the picture of paradise.

A stretch of soft, yellow sand lies on a strip of land between the lush Waianae mountain range and the deep blue Pacific Ocean on the north-west coast of Oahu. Waves crash against rocks along the beach, and a monk seal can be seen swimming near the shore.

While this is a place that would make a striking Instagram post for visitors, it has become a source of sadness for Micah Doane. His grandmother’s family was one of many who were evicted from the area to make way for military training infrastructure during the second world war. Doane grew up taking trips to Makua with his family, including his grandmother’s brother, Ivanhoe Naiwi, who shared the heartache of the family’s displacement and passion for preserving the area with Doane.

“All of our trips down here as youngsters were with him. He kind of raised us out here,” Doane said. “As a kid growing up, we became protective over the place.”

About an hour’s drive from Honolulu, Makua has historically been remote from the bustling crowds of Waikiki. But over the last decade, Doane has seen an influx of visitors coming to Makua Beach, especially as people started tagging the “secret” beach on social media. On this particular Sunday, the parking area outside the beach is packed early with beachgoers, some of whom brought snorkeling gear to catch a glimpse of dolphins.

Doane has long been concerned about the impact snorkelers have on the Hawaiian spinner dolphins, who use the area as a place to sleep.

Makua is also popular for a cave hike, which is illegal, and camping on the beach, also illegal. With no bathrooms nearby, strands of toilet paper can be seen in bushes along the beach along with other trash that accumulates in the area.

A co-founder of Protectors of Paradise, a non-profit that promotes stewardship in the area, Doane and a group of volunteers hold weekly beach cleanups and try to educate visitors on how to respect the area. Yet the group can only cover so much ground.

“You see every day these disrespectful people come and do whatever they want … You have your kids that are getting older, and our parents’ generation and our kupuna [elders] that are getting older, and you think it’s sad that they’re not able to enjoy these things,” Doane said. “It’s to the point where it’s kind of hurt an entire community.”

This area on the west side of Oahu is just one of many places throughout the islands that has been feeling the weight of a tourism industry that has ballooned to what many believe is beyond the islands’ capacity.

A rise in vacation rentals, of which there were 23,000 in the islands in 2018, and the growth of social media saw more tourists visiting Hawaii and increasingly going into its more residential and protected areas. In 2019, 10 million visitors came to Hawaii, which has a population of about 1.5 million. It was the highest number of tourists in a single year the islands had seen in its history.

The phenomenon, known as overtourism , has seen travelers overwhelm not just Hawaii but many of the US national parks and has frustrated residents in cities around Europe , like Venice and Barcelona, and elsewhere.

The Covid-19 pandemic delivered an unusual mixture of pain from economic loss and relief to residents of places that have gotten used to crowds of tourists. In Hawaii, locals hiked popular trails and visited beaches that are usually clogged by tourists. Traffic was noticeably lighter, and things in the islands were generally calmer.

Things are already looking much different in 2021. About 30,000 travelers are now flying into Hawaii each day, over 80% of the number of travelers that were flying in during the same time in 2019. Around the islands, it seems that tourism as it was before the pandemic is coming back.

While that means jobs are back, surveys from the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA), the state’s tourism agency, have shown local residents are taking on an increasingly negative opinion of tourism, even in light of the pandemic. In 2020, over half of the respondents to the survey agreed that tourism had brought more problems than benefits.

“There’s an understanding, even within the [tourism] industry … based upon our experience in 2019, that tourism shouldn’t come back the way it was – an unmanaged state,” said Frank Haas, a tourism industry expert based at the University of Hawaii (UH). “That in my mind is pretty clear. The question is, who’s going to pick up the torch and develop a good management plan?”

A balancing act

The parking lot of Hanauma Bay nature preserve, a popular beach and snorkeling spot for visitors on the southern tip of Oahu, is completely empty, save for a few employee cars. The spot would typically be open on this Monday and packed with visitors. But after the pandemic, the Honolulu parks department, which manages the beach, closed the beach for an additional day so the bay gets rest two days each week.

“You can see how clear the waters are right now because it’s a closed day. When you come and it’s an open day, it’ll be very milky, [with sand] stirred up by all the visitors,” said Ku’ulei Rodgers, a researcher with the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology at UH. This sedimentation can affect the health of coral colonies in the preserve, the larger of which have been dying over the last few years.

Rodgers and other researchers at UH have utilized the pandemic as an opportunity to better study the impact visitors have on Hanauma Bay. Along with clearer waters, the researchers noticed schools of larger fish, like jackfish and milkfish, foraging in the bay and even spotted a few monk seals resting on the beach for the first time in years.

While the bay is a beautiful spot to lounge and snorkel for humans, it is an important refuge for fish. A lack of predators in the bay and low impacts from heavy storm surf and freshwater make the bay a uniquely safe place for fish, of which there have been up to 400 species in the preserve.

While impacts from visitors pale in comparison with the effects of climate change, which has caused devastating bleaching events in the bay’s water, Honolulu’s parks department has for years taken on a series of measures to curtail overcrowding at the preserve.

To enter Hanauma Bay, along with paying a $12 fee, visitors must watch a 10-minute education video on the history and importance of the bay as a nature preserve. In December, when the city reopened Hanauma Bay to visitors, it halved the number of people who could watch the video at once, essentially halving the number of visitors who can visit Hanauma Bay each day to just over 1,000.

The parks department is continuously evaluating the bay’s visitor capacity, teaming up with Rodgers and other researchers to find the balance between access to Hanauma Bay and protection of it.

“[The research] is a big tool for us to determine where that sweet spot is, what’s the right number of people visiting where we can get them in and have them enjoy this beautiful natural treasure but at the same time not having a completely detrimental impact on the nature that’s attracting them,” said Nathan Serota, a spokesperson for the Honolulu department of parks and recreation.

Hanauma Bay’s reservation system has existed for years, but after the massive number of tourists in recent years, the state is starting to implement similar systems at other popular tourist spots to combat overcrowding.

After severe flooding closed Haena state park on Kauai to visitors in 2018, local residents were treated to empty roads and beaches. The state’s department of land and natural resources (DLNR) worked with the local community to develop a reservation system that caps the number of visitors at the park at 900, down from the 3,000 before the flood.

Along with setting up reservation systems, the state is also turning toward increased fees in an attempt to control crowds. The fee to hike O​ahu’s famous Diamond Head volcanic cone have doubled for out-of-state visitors, it now costs $90 to park a vehicle carrying over 26 people. And the state legislature is considering a bill that would implement a $20 “green fee” – which places like Palau and Bhutan have implemented – that would go toward a fund to promote the state’s environmental goals.

“We’re more cognizant of the impacts that tourism has,” Serota said. “You’re starting to see that you can’t just have a policy of let’s bring in as many tourists and possible and reap the benefits. Now we have to look at managing it more effectively to see how we can create an experience and not have a negative impact on the local population as well.”

Destination management

But change isn’t going to be easy. In its last five-year strategic plan, released in 2020 before the pandemic, HTA said that destination management – a term that in recent years has been used to describe the solutions to overtourism – has become a major focus of the agency, which has historically been in charge of the state’s tourism marketing. “The continuous drive to increase visitor numbers has taken its toll on our natural environment and people,” the agency said in its plan .

Over the last few months, HTA has released three action plans for destination management on Kauai, Maui and the Big Island. It expects to release Oahu’s plan later this summer.

The influx of visitors seen at the end of 2019 “was enough to start driving our work in a direction to say how do we transition from a destination marketing organization to a destination management organization?” said Kalani Kaanaana, director of Hawaiian cultural affairs and natural resources at HTA.

Kaanaana was one of 14 Native Hawaiian authors who put out a declaration calling for action toward long-term sustainability in the islands, including managing the relationship between residents and visitors. Nearly 3,000 individuals, community groups and businesses, including HTA, have signed on to the declaration.

Destination management will not be an easy task for HTA as the agency faces limited authority to carry out some of its recommendations. Regulation of short-term vacation rentals, for example, which greatly affects the number of tourists, is handled on a county level. And the state’s legislature recently moved to cut HTA funding and strip the agency of some of its responsibilities, with legislators saying the agency should focus on marketing.

Haas, a former vice-president of HTA, said state leaders, who have been enmeshed in the complicated politics of tourism, need to develop a coordinated plan to address tourism for any long-term change to happen.

“At least in the short term, we don’t have a lot of viable options for tourism as an economic driver,” said Haas. “We really need to figure out how to thoughtfully manage and until we do that, it’s just going to be haphazard.”

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Hawaii is "on the verge of a greater catastrophe," locals say, as water crisis continues

By Li Cohen

Updated on: April 11, 2024 / 8:23 AM EDT / CBS News

In Hawaii, one of the most important sayings is ola i ka wai , "water is life" — a phrase that not only sums up what it means to exist on an island, but what it means to live, period. But now, one of the largest of the island chain's land masses is facing a triple threat to its sole freshwater source, and if it isn't addressed soon, one community member says, "we're in deep trouble."

Despite being surrounded by seemingly endless ocean, freshwater on Oahu, the third-largest of Hawaii's six major islands, is not easily accessible. The island relies on an underground aquifer for its water supply. Replenishing that aquifer is a decades-long natural process, as it takes a single drop of water roughly 25 years to make it there from the sky. 

And recent years have seen compounding problems: less rain, leading to significant droughts , and repeated jet fuel leaks and PFAS chemical spills contaminating water systems. All of this significantly limits available water use for locals, many of whom say tourism is only worsening the situation. Just months ago, the world's largest surfing wave pool opened up on the island — filled with freshwater.

"They're not using it to drink or to support life, they're using it to make money. They're commodifying it," said Healani Sonoda-Pale, who is Native Hawaiian and a member of advocacy group O'ahu Water Protectors. "… We are on the verge of a greater catastrophe." 

"We are in a water crisis , that has to be made very clear," Wayne Tanaka, director of Sierra Club of Hawai'i, told CBS News, saying that if the reasons for this crisis aren't soon addressed, "We may come to a point where we have to decide … who gets water and who doesn't."

Surrounded by water, Oahu runs dry 

On an island, rain is essential. 

Statewide, rainfall averages range widely, from just 8 inches to around 400 inches a year, Thomas Giambelluca, director of the University of Hawaii at Mānoa Water Resources Research Center, told CBS News. There is a massive difference just minutes apart. Some areas are extremely dry, while others have the wettest climate in the U.S. 

At the university campus where CBS News spoke with Giambelluca, the average yearly rainfall is about 60 inches a year, while nearby Waikiki, two miles away, gets 20 inches.

Water supplies depend on that rainfall, with drier areas having a smaller supply. But those drier areas also face higher demand, as they are where tourists flock and many locals reside. And because the drinking water supply is almost entirely from groundwater, shifting weather patterns can pose a major problem.

"We have the problem of getting water to where it's needed from where it can be found," Giambelluca said. "...When the rain doesn't come, we don't have any second chance, we don't have any other way to get our water supply. We can't pipe it from a nearby state."

Currently, the entire island of Oahu is considered " abnormally dry ," according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. "Severe and persistent droughts," prompting water conservation measures, are not uncommon, Giambelluca said. While officials could work to desalinate ocean water, "that's not the preferred way to get drinking water," he added. 

"It's very energy-intensive, and so that would be in opposition to our goals of reducing our dependency on fossil fuels in Hawaii, reducing our emissions," he said. 

And as global temperatures continue to rise, that will only get worse — not just on Oahu, but across Hawaii.

"Hawaii is getting drier and drier, particularly since the 1980s," state climatologist Pao-Shin Chu said. "...The consecutive dry days become longer and longer. That's very clear." 

But drought isn't the only issue. Warmer global temperatures also fuel more extreme precipitation, bringing more rain in a shorter duration. According to Giambelluca, that won't necessarily help maintain the water supply, as steep watersheds will channel that water into flooding, and rising sea levels will prevent rainwater from having a place to go — not even into the aquifer. Rising seas are already causing significant erosion on coastlines. 

Giambelluca explained that as sea levels rise, the ocean will infiltrate the underground freshwater system, physically pushing that resource out while also infiltrating wells and other components of the water supply system that will need to be adjusted.

"It's already affecting those water systems," Giambelluca said. "...There's no question that climate change is going to make problems caused by other factors worse."

In fact, some evidence suggests that after 2030, there will be less groundwater to extract from, Chu said, adding, "that's going to be a problem." 

"Without water, there is no life" 

For Anthony Deluze, it already is a problem. He manages farmland on Oahu, nestled in between Pearl Harbor, a highway and a shopping center. His land is spring-fed, which he uses to primarily grow taro, a root vegetable considered a sacred staple in Native Hawaiian food and culture. But climate change has made growing taro for his family and community much more difficult.  

"The biggest challenge is water," he said. "...Without water, there is no life." 

Deluze has managed the land he is on for more than a decade, but within the past five years, he said, the water table has significantly dropped, reducing the available freshwater while more seawater seeps in. Between that and the ongoing drought issues, he didn't have even half the amount of water needed to properly maintain his crops. 

"A healthy lo'i [water taro] system needs about 250,000 gallons per day per acre for it to be healthy," he said. "... We were probably getting, in the summertime, about 35,000 per day. And if we're lucky, maybe about 40- to 45,000 in the wintertime, per day. And this is three acres, so we're not even hitting a fraction of what we need." 

But it's not just a lack of water, it's a lack of clean water. 

"Water quality and water quantity are tied together," Giambelluca said. "...Water contamination is always going to impact water quantity, water availability." 

Across the highway from Deluze's farm lies Pearl Harbor and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, where in November 2021, there was a jet fuel leak in the Navy's World War II-era underground storage tanks. Nearly 20,000 gallons of jet fuel leaked out of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, contaminating the base's water system and sickening thousands of military families and locals, many of whom say they are still reeling from the health impacts. 

The Board of Water Supply instantly had to shut down three wells that supply water to the island, as the aquifer sits just below Red Hill . A year later, that same facility saw a major leak of 1,300 gallons of AFFF, a fire suppressant that contains PFAS, otherwise known as " forever chemicals ." 

"We can't farm with fuel; we can't live, period," Deluze said. 

The military has since cleaned up the bulk of the lost fuel and chemicals, but many officials believe some of both could have ended up in the environment regardless. 

"Red Hill…did spark off this crisis," Sierra Club's Wayne Tanaka told CBS News. 

"If we lose our water, every aspect of life will be impacted and upended. Not just for the next few years, but for the next few generations." 

Editor's note: The headline of this story has been updated.

• Water Safety
• Climate Change
• Hawaii Wildfires
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Li Cohen is a social media producer and trending content writer for CBS News.

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Hawaii Tourism Is Way Up — and It’s Just Getting Started

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While the pandemic pummeled Hawaii in its early stages, the Aloha State’s tourism industry is back, and by some metrics, bigger than ever. The number of tourists from the U.S. mainland is higher than it was before the pandemic — and average spending per trip is also higher.

More demand means higher prices — and the increase in demand is just getting started. Travelers from Asia, who previously comprised a significant portion of Hawaii tourists, have not returned to Hawaii in pre-pandemic numbers, due in large part to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.

But with recent border reopenings in Asia, coupled with some big changes coming to the Hawaii tourism scene (including Disney cruises and a clampdown on tourist accessibility), the future for Hawaii travelers will likely be competitive — and expensive. Still, there are ways to visit that allow you to avoid crowds, minimize over-tourism and save money.

Tourism in Hawaii is at record highs by some metrics

More than 700,000 people visited Hawaii in September 2022, representing a 95.5% recovery from the same month in 2019. But while overall tourism numbers haven’t exceeded pre-pandemic levels, many other metrics have been blown out of the water, according to data from the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism.

Here are some of the most significant changes in Hawaii tourism between September 2019 and September 2022:

Overall tourism spending in Hawaii is up 18.5%.

The average trip length is up 5.9%.

The number of tourists visiting from the rest of the U.S. is up 29%.

Increased spending might be partly due to inflation. The average cost of airfare increased about 8% nationwide between September 2019 and September 2022, while hotel prices increased 5%, according to a NerdWallet analysis of Consumer Price Index data . But in that period, the nationwide increase in inflation — up 16% — is less than the 18.5% spending increase specific to Hawaii.

Stays in Hawaii are longer than they were pre-pandemic — possibly because of an increase in workcations . The average stay in September 2022 spanned 8.9 days, up 5.9% from the average 8.4-day stay in September 2019.

People are also spending more on daily activities like hotels, tours and food than they did pre-pandemic. Average spending per person, per day in September 2022 was $236, up 17.1% from the same month in 2019.

Of all the islands, Oahu has seen the sharpest increase in average daily visitor spending since pre-pandemic times, up 25%. Oahu has also seen some significant investment in tourist-minded improvements — many of which put a fresh emphasis on Hawaii’s culture and history.

The Ford Island Control Tower. (Photo courtesy of the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum)

For example, the Ford Island Control Tower at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum opened this summer after a restoration project that took over a decade. The Polynesian Cultural Center’s Ali'i Luau had its official relaunch in August 2022. (It initially launched not long before pandemic shutdowns in fall 2019.) Seth Casey, a marketing manager at the Polynesian Cultural Center, says it’s the only luau in Hawaii that features a historically accurate Hawaiian cultural presentation.

And tourists are responding well to such additions. More than two-thirds of tourists from the U.S. and Canada participated in activities centered around history or culture in the first quarter of 2022, according to DBEDT.

Supply might not grow — which could put more pressure on prices

For all the demand, there might not be much of a supply increase. The majority of Hawaii residents say they don’t want more lodging to be built.

While 77% of residents want to clamp down on illegal vacation rentals, 64% don’t want any new vacation rentals, period. That’s according to DBEDT’s Spring 2022 Resident Sentiment Survey, which interviewed nearly 2,000 Hawaii residents between May and July 2022. And it’s not just vacation rentals; 66% said they didn’t want to allow the building of any additional hotels, condos or timeshares.

Kamaole Beach, south shore of Maui. (Getty Images)

There are also caps on activities for Hawaii travelers. For example, a pilot project from Park Maui this winter will restrict parking access at Maui's Kamaole Beach parks on weekends and holidays before 10 a.m., allowing only Maui County residents to park. Non-residents can park there after 10 a.m. — for a fee. (Meanwhile, resident parking is free.)

Such changes stem in part from rising anti-tourism sentiment. In 2009, 78% of residents said they at least somewhat agree that tourism brings more benefits than problems. But that figure has been steadily decreasing. In 2022, it’s just 54%.

But some residents are more receptive to tourism than others. On Oahu — which saw the largest increase in average visitor spending of all the islands versus pre-pandemic — pro-tourism sentiment has recently increased, reversing a downward trend that began before the COVID-19 pandemic. Residents on Oahu and the Big Island were more likely than those on Maui or Kauai to say that tourism should be actively encouraged, according to DBEDT data.

Meanwhile, an increasing number of residents on Maui and Kauai have stated that their island “is run for tourists at the expense of local people,” and that the “economy is too dependent on tourism.” Residents of those islands are more likely to want to stop building hotels or approving vacation rentals. They’re also more likely to call for resident-only days at parks and beaches.

Still, Hawaii tourism will likely continue to explode

While the number of tourists in Hawaii is at about 96% of its pre-pandemic levels, signs point to 2023 far exceeding that.

For starters, the number of tourists from the rest of the U.S. has already massively increased, up 29% in September 2022 versus September 2021, according to DBEDT data. Meanwhile, tourism from other countries is still down — most notably from Japan.

In 2019, more than 1.5 million tourists came from Japan, representing about 15% of all tourists to the state. For now though, Japanese tourism is still down 83%.

That figure could shift, as Japan recently reopened its borders to independent foreign travelers following nearly three years of heavy pandemic restrictions. Travelers can now enter Japan without applying for a visa in advance — and likewise, it’ll be far easier for people from Japan to get to Hawaii. Direct flights between the two destinations only resumed in August 2022 after a pandemic hiatus, making convenient travel to Hawaii from Japan possible again.

A cruise ship lingers over Nawiliwili Beach Park in Kauai. (Getty Images)

Then there are cruises. Hawaii paused cruise ship arrivals during the first two years of the pandemic. Then, in the first nine months of 2022, 26 out-of-state cruise ships arrived, bringing 40,658 tourists, according to DBEDT. That’s far fewer than the 44 cruise ships carrying 95,149 tourists that arrived during the same period in 2019, but cruises are coming back.

Beginning in October 2023, the Disney Wonder will offer the fleet’s first-ever South Pacific itineraries, which either start or end in Hawaii. (Photo courtesy of Disney Cruise Line)

Just this year, Disney Cruise Line announced its first-ever cruises through the South Pacific, which will take visitors between Honolulu and Sydney, with stops that include American Samoa and Fiji.

Should tourists go to Hawaii? Yes, but mindfully

There are plenty of ways to cut down on contributions to Hawaii tourism problems and save money. Here’s how to minimize both costs and overtourism when traveling to the islands.

Patronize historically accurate visitor experiences: While residents are mixed on tourism’s benefits, most agree that educating visitors about the islands’ cultural and natural resources is crucial. Tourist activities like the Polynesian Cultural Center’s Ali'i Luau are trying to tackle that.

When the show went into development in 2019, Casey says the creators went to painstaking efforts to make sure they got feedback from cultural experts to ensure it was accurate.

The luau is a tribute to Hawaii's last ruling monarch, Queen Liliuokalani. Performers onstage tell her story in her own words and play original compositions she wrote.

Ditch rental cars for mass transit: Don't be intimidated by the idea of exploring Hawaii without a rental car. It can be done. Oahu is generally the easiest Hawaiian island to navigate without a car, given its public transportation system, TheBus, and the privately owned Waikiki Trolley that stops at most major tourist attractions. On other islands, try taking small group tours rather than renting a car and fighting traffic on your own. For experiences like Maui’s famous winding Road to Hana, paying someone else to drive while you enjoy the scenery might be ideal anyway.

Respect natural resources: While you can spend time in nature for little to no cost, it's important to be mindful of the environment. Don't carve your name in trees or leave trash behind, and stay on trails whenever possible.

The Courtyard Oahu North Shore is among the hotels with no resort fees. (Photo courtesy of Marriott)

Seek out hotels that don’t charge resort fees: Resort fees are one of the most brutal — and increasingly common — aspects of travel found in popular destinations like Hawaii. These semi-hidden fees purport to cover the costs of expenses such as the fitness center or pool, but they’re non-negotiable. Even if you don’t use the amenities, the fees are still charged.

But some hotels have opted out of charging them. Courtyard Oahu North Shore, for example, offers standard amenities like a swimming pool and waterfall, plus cultural activities like ukulele and hula classes with no additional fee.

“We look at it from a guest perspective,” says Dave Betham, the property’s general manager. “We like the idea that there are no surprises.”

Making Hawaii tourism better for residents and locals

Hawaii tourism is growing — and it looks set to reach new highs beyond even pre-pandemic times.

For tourists, Hawaii can be a prime vacation destination. It can be an escape from colder climates and an opportunity to explore a different culture through new foods, activities and historical sites.

Zipline riders on Oahu. (Photo courtesy of Climbworks Keana Farms)

Many of those within Hawaii’s tourism industry say they want to offer activities that still respect the land. That includes folks like Betham, mentioned above, as well as Aaron Campbell, who owns Climbworks Keana Farms, a zipline company on Oahu’s North Shore.

“We want visitors to come, but we want them to come responsibly,” Campbell says.

During the 10-minute ride to the mountain top, tourists are taught about Hawaii's history, culture and farming. Educational exhibits are sprinkled along the zipline tour itself.

“As we now look at this push for tourism that we’ve gone through, we’re reexamining the value of tourism,” Betham says. “How do we make that experience better for the guests, better for us, better for the Hawaiian people?”

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Japanese Travelers Are Steering Clear Of Hawaii

Once Hawaii's top international tourist market, Japanese visitors are staying away from the islands amid inflated prices and a weak yen

Once Hawaii’s top international tourist market, Japanese visitors are staying away from the islands amid inflated prices and a weak yen

Japanese travel to Hawaii has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, defying the predictions of tourism executives and economists who had forecast the state’s most important international visitor market would rebound as travel restrictions eased.

Heading into Hawaii’s prime holiday travel season, with the Honolulu Marathon sponsored by Japan Airlines less than two weeks away, Hawaii simply isn’t as big in Japan as it once was.

The number of visitors from Japan is roughly half of what it was in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the state’s tourism industry, tourism executives say, and data shows the Japanese visitors who are coming are tightening their belts.

“We’re not getting the big influx back that we thought a year ago would happen,” said Jerry Gibson, president of the Hawaii Hotel Alliance . “Eventually it will come back to at least 85%. But it’s not going to be as quick as we thought it would be.”

Much of that has to do with prices: rising U.S. inflation coupled with a weaker yen that makes Hawaii far more expensive for Japanese than it was before the pandemic.

“Hawaii just looks super expensive,” Carl Bonham, executive director of the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization , said during a recent interview with Civil Beat’s editorial board. The cost increase is especially sharp since before the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.

To illustrate, Bonham points to a hypothetical visitor from Japan who had scheduled a trip during Japan’s holiday Golden Week in 2020, only to have to cancel because of Covid-19 travel restrictions. 

“You know exactly how much it was going to cost because you already had it all booked,” Bonham said. “And now you try to book the same thing. You’re talking 60, 70, 80% more expensive. And so that matters.”

Honolulu Sticker Shock

Junji Furusawa was one of those not daunted by the high prices. He arrived Tuesday on a flight from Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport on Tuesday with his wife Sugiko and their grown children. 

Special Report

This ongoing series explores where Hawaii’s economy is headed and whether it can grow beyond tourism.

The Furusawas were among 2,555 passengers who arrived on flights from Japan on Tuesday. That was about 46% less than the 4,766 who arrived from Japan on the same day in 2019, international passenger data from the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism shows.

But the numbers alone don’t tell the whole story. According to Furusawa, who spoke to Civil Beat through an interpreter, there were more “foreigners” on the plane, or people flying home from Japan, than there were Japanese people flying to Hawaii.

It’s not surprising given the prices, Furusawa said during an interview on Wednesday at Ala Moana Center, where he was shopping with his family. Furusawa said he had been to Hawaii about 25 times, the last visit a decade ago.

And he said he was struck by how much more expensive Hawaii is now that it was back then. A bowl of noodles for lunch at  Marugame Udon  in Waikiki, for instance, cost three times what it costs in Tokyo, he said. 

“The hotel is more than twice the price of 10 years ago,” he said.

The cost of travel to Hawaii was a common theme among visitors interviewed Wednesday. And for good reason.  The weakest Japanese yen in 30 years  means U.S. travelers to Japan can stretch their dollars, but Japanese visitors are at the wrong end of the exchange rate, paying a premium for goods and services that have already increased in price due to inflation. 

It’s not that Japanese tourists are stingy. It’s just that they’re putting the brakes on their spending, while U.S. travelers are spending more. In fact, for the third quarter of 2023, the average Japanese tourist in Hawaii spent $249.50 per day here, compared to $226.20 per day for the average visitor from the U.S. West. Before the pandemic, U.S. West visitors were spending a lot less – $173.90 a day in the third quarter of 2019 – than Japanese visitors, who were spending $239.50 a day then.

Ko Suzuki, a driver for  Royal Kaila Wedding and Spa , spends his days shuttling Japanese tourists from their hotels to Royal Kaila, where they get dressed up in wedding clothes for photo shoots on the beach. A  basic sunset photo package  sells for $1,169, including 100 photos, a rental wedding dress and tuxedo, bridal hair and makeup, limousine service and other amenities.

While wedding couples might be willing to splurge for once-in-a-lifetime wedding photos, Suzuki said through an interpreter he often finds himself recommending inexpensive local restaurants to couples who say they’re surprised to find places here charging $20 for a bowl of ramen that costs $7 to $10 back home.

But it’s not just prices people cited as concerns. Kaito Kitahara and Kana Jimbo, who are visiting Waikiki for six days from Kanagawa Prefecture near Tokyo, said they would like to see improvements to Honolulu’s bus service, including better signage at bus stops and more payment options.

“It would be nice to be able to use a credit card on the bus,” Kitahara said through an interpreter.

Another issue, Furusawa said, is clearing U.S. customs and immigration, which can take a frustratingly long time. Also raising concerns about custom and immigration, he said, is a recent  high-profile news story  of a social media influencer being turned away from Hawaii as a suspected prostitute.

But Sugiko Furusawa said the family recently saw something encouraging: Hawaii Gov. Josh Green on the news in Japan promising to address immigration issues for visitors during a recent trip to Japan.

In an emailed statement, Green’s office said, “The Immigration Clearance discussions that Governor Green referred to would create a system in Japan where Japanese Visitors would conduct their U.S. Customs and Immigration Clearance prior to flying to Hawaiʻi which would expedite their processing time upon arrival to the State of Hawaiʻi.”

A more fundamental issue involves a lack of Japanese-speaking service workers in Hawaii, Royal Kaila’s Suzuki said. Many such workers were laid off during the pandemic and never went back to work. The result is some visitors face occasional language barriers that never existed in Hawaii before the pandemic.

About 90% of the company’s customers are Japanese tourists, he said, and he hears their stories when he shuttles them between their hotels and Royal Kaila.

For Royal Kaila, the lack of Japanese-speaking workers like makeup artists, hairdressers and photographers is especially problematic, Suzuki said. While the company handled upward of 18 wedding shoots a day before the pandemic, he said, the company can now do only six to eight.

“There were lots of layoffs during the pandemic,” he said. “We can’t yet deal with all the demands.”

When things will return to pre-pandemic levels is anyone’s guess. 

Gibson said it could be five to seven years.

UHERO’s Bonham said an important part of the story is that U.S. visitors have stepped up to fill the gap left by the missing Japanese visitors. And there’s no sign that economic conditions will change that soon.

“If you went back and sort of looked back at our forecasting behavior over the last year, year and a half, what you would find is that every time we released another forecast, we had to increase our forecast for U.S. visitors, and we had to lower our forecast for Japanese visitors,” he said.

U.S. visitors now make up 75% of the visitors to the state and 75% of the spending in the state, which is about 10 percentage points higher than before the pandemic, he said.

“And meanwhile,” Bonham added, “we keep waiting for the Japanese visitor to come back.”

“ Hawaii’s Changing Economy ” is supported by a grant from the Hawaii Community Foundation as part of its CHANGE Framework project.

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Sunday, April 28, 2024 80° Today's Paper

Hawaii tourism outlook is flat amid challenges, economists say

By Allison Schaefers

Feb. 12, 2024

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Tourists enjoy the Duke Kahanamoku Beach on Thursday.

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The forecast for Hawaii tourism in 2024 is “same old”: a year of flat visitor arrivals, which aren’t even expected to recover to Hawaii’s benchmark 2019 level until after 2025.

That was the opinion of Eugene Tian, state economist for the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, and other experts who spoke Thursday at the 2024 Annual Outlook &Economic Forecast Forum for the Hawaii Chapters of the Pacific Asia Travel Association and the Travel and Tourism Research Association.

“The economy for the U.S. is going to slow down in 2024. (The economic growth projection for the U.S.) was about 2.4% in 2023, and it’s going down to 1.6% in 2024 and 1.7% in 2025,” Tian said.

He added that the economy will be slower this year than it was in 2024 for most of Hawaii’s tourism source markets.

“The news is not too good, but it’s pretty much flat for 2024 in terms of tourism,” Tian said.

Those in Hawaii’s overtourism camp, who have pushed back since visitor arrivals rose above 10 million in 2019, aren’t likely to feel much angst. However, Hawaii’s visitor industry is likely to view the stagnancy less positively, especially since plenty of headwinds are on the horizon.

Dale Carstensen, FLEX project director, leisure sales, Hawaii and French Polynesia, a member of the Marriott International Sales Organization, said headwinds include the state of global economics, competing destinations, airline support for Hawaii, and Hawaii government’s stand on tourism.

Tian said Hawaii’s 2024 tourism outlook closely parallels the national forecast provided by Aran Ryan, director of industry studies at Tourism Economics.

“While travel nationwide showed signs of resilience and recovery in 2023, the industry enters 2024 with the challenge of a slowing economy, weakening finances and international headwinds,” Ryan said.

Tian said in DBEDT’s most recent economic forecast, released in December, that visitor arrivals to Hawaii in 2024 and 2025 were expected to reach 9.8 million and 10.1 million, respectively, which is still below the 2019 benchmark of 10.4 million arrivals. Tian said Hawaii’s real gross domestic product — the value of all goods and services — during the third quarter of 2023 was at only 97.7% of 2019’s third-quarter level.

“We have not recovered, but the U.S. economy has pretty much recovered in 2021, so we have been falling behind,” he said, adding that Hawai’s nontourism sectors have fully recovered to 100%, but Hawaii’s tourism sector is at only about 90% recovery.

Chris Kam, Omintrak Group president, said the labor shortage in Hawaii likely cut into productivity growth, especially for tourism.

Indeed, Tian said overall unfilled jobs in Hawaii averaged 7,400 a month in 2019 but were 11,400 during first 11 months of 2023.

Paul Brewbaker, principal of TZ Economics, also expressed a concern that reducing visitor arrivals is the No. 1 goal in the Oahu Destination Management Action Plan, a community-driven visioning process for tourism and stewardship goals. He said Hawaii’s visitor plant inventory stopped growing after the 1980s, and recently, crackdowns on short-term rentals could obliterate jobs and incomes and stifle travel and tourism innovation such as the new trend of remote workers combining business and travel.

“Hawaii traded away growth for volatility after the 1980s, without insurance,” Brewbaker said. “Be careful what you wish for in suppressing lodging receipts. ‘Those taro loi volunteers sure spend tons of money,’ said nobody, ever.”

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The Case for Caps: Overtourism in Hawaii

In January 2022, the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) marked the first time Native Hawaiians— kanaka maoli —comprised a majority of its 12-member board of directors. As tourism represents the largest industry in Hawaii, around 21 percent of the state’s economy, this situation provided an opportunity for much greater influence and input from kanaka maoli on the policies that effectively determine the fate of their islands. In particular, the Board was exploring changes in fees, reservations, and education policy. At the heart of these changes, the Board discussed the fundamental issue of their mission : Their primary focus shifted from “marketing and brand management” to “destination management.” Through their Destination Management Action Plans (DMAPs), they aim to “rebuild, redefine and reset tourism’s direction,” with a “ focus [on] stabilization, recovery, and rebuilding. ” Unfortunately, these goals still fail to address the fundamental problem of tourism in Hawaii: The islands, their environment, and infrastructure cannot support the sheer number of tourists visiting the islands. To address this, the State of Hawaii must cap the number of visitors it allows into the islands.

Within the United States, Hawaii is one of the most popular tourist destinations. Despite its relatively modest population, Honolulu is the seventh most-visited city in the United States, with a record 2.75 million tourists in 2019. At the time, around 216,000 jobs were directly involved in or depended on the tourism industry. The surplus of tourists in 2019 allowed the State of Hawaii to raise over two billion dollars in taxes, but these benefits aren’t without their consequences.

While tourism is the largest sector of the state’s economy, it is also the root cause of many of Hawaii’s fundamental problems. Tourists, who outnumber locals seven to one, severely strain the infrastructure designed for Hawaii’s small population. Perhaps the lack of water best illustrates this phenomenon. Currently, tourism accounts for 44.7 percent of total water consumption. While local residents suffer from droughts and face restrictions on watering their lawns or washing their cars, the tourism industry enjoys seemingly unfettered access to Hawaii’s water supply. The tourism industry also consumes a significant amount of energy. Researchers from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa found that at one point, hotels and their guests consumed around 60 percent of Hawaii’s fuel and electricity. Even facing the challenges to the tourism sector during the coronavirus pandemic, in 2020, hotels alone were responsible for 8.7 percent of electricity consumption on the island of Oahu. Tourists are also responsible for propagating an already dire affordable housing crisis. For decades, tourists have participated in illegal short-term vacation rentals, eager to capitalize on the islands’ popularity. Expensive rentals on Airbnb and VRBO, and rising prices of homes, condos and apartments make housing practically unaffordable for local communities. Even with surplus taxation from the tourism sector, most of the money from tourism unfortunately leaves the islands in the hands of shareholders of the Hilton, Marriott, and other multinational hospitality companies.

These issues led resident sentiment to turn on tourism in recent years. During Hawaii’s strict Covid-19 policies, some residents claimed that they “got their islands back” on account of the lack of tourists. But when the islands reopened, many called for continued controls on tourism. In July 2021, the Mayor of Maui, for example, asked airlines to pause their post-lockdown frenzy of flights. An additional 2022 survey found that 67 percent of Hawaii residents believed that their island was “being run for tourists at the expense of local people,” and 66 percent supported halting approval of new hotels, condos, and timeshares. This shift in attitude served as an inspiration for the HTA’s new destination management vision. 

One of HTA’s new destination management policies is educating tourists on the concepts of traveling pono (exploring with care) and mālama (to take care of). This change, however, arguably does nothing substantial to curb tourism’s greater effects. A recent effort by Hawaiian Airlines, for example, displayed a five minute video on being a “good tourist,” full of seemingly obvious reminders such as not approaching endangered species. But recent air incidents (such as Southwest Flight 1380, where passengers didn’t know how to use oxygen masks properly) illustrate that many people likely do not pay attention to the in-flight safety briefings. Most importantly, these “crash courses” fail to consider that even educated tourists are still tourists. 

Education isn’t the only nonanswer being propagated in discussions surrounding tourism  in Hawaii. One popular policy pushed by activists and politicians is the instatement of a tourist “green fee,” a $50 per visitor fee that would fund environmental conservation. This policy has already been implemented in other destinations in the Pacific, but their success is questionable. In the Micronesian nation of Palau, for example, a $100 “Pristine Paradise Environmental Fee” added to the cost of flights had little observable effect on the trend of tourism in Palau. In Hawaii, a territory that receives an average of 195 percent more (or an average of 7.45 million more) tourists a year than Palau, a green fee would certainly bring in revenue –about $400 million based on 2019 numbers–but would not do much to address the sheer number of tourists the islands see every year. 

Ultimately, the problem lies in the proximity that the mainland United States has to the island, facilitating the massive influx of tourists. Even amid a pandemic, visits to Hawaii skyrocketed when tourism reopened . Faced with a lack of hotel rooms and rental cars, tourists even resorted to renting out U-Hauls and camping on the beach, while local residents were ordered to decrease their water usage to provide for the resorts. No matter the barriers, economic or otherwise, tourists will flock to Hawaii. Ultimately, the solution to Hawaii’s tourism problem is for the government to step in and limit the amount of tourists allowed to travel to the islands. 

The most straightforward way for the government to limit tourists would be supplementing the proposed “green fee” with a “green cap” on tourists, a policy that has already been implemented  in Bhutan . The HTA and private organizations are already pursuing some similar policies on a smaller scale by enforcing a reservations policy for beaches and state parks in the islands, limiting the number of visitors to popular sites like Diamond Head. According to the CEO of HTA John De Fries, limiting visits to state parks reduces the daily tourist strain on these locations, “ protecting its natural environment and cultural sites.” A similar statewide implementation would reduce the strain on the existing infrastructure. Limiting visitors to Hawaii, however, does raise a cause for concern. As the largest single sector of Hawaii’s economy, a downsizing of tourism would have consequences for the state’s 242,000 employees in tourism, and could send a ripple effect through its connected industries.

Hawaii’s current relationship with tourism is unsustainable for the islands and their residents. But despite the well-intentioned efforts, policies, and proposals of the Tourism Authority and activist groups, these fail to address the root of the problem: tourists put immense pressure on Hawaii’s modest infrastructure–whether it be roads, water, or energy–and educating them or making them pay a fee does not change this. Ultimately, Hawaii must be seen through the words of Maui Mayor Michael Victorino: “a community first and a vacation destination second.” The State of Hawaii must put heavier emphasis on its community, even at the detriment of tourism. Until then, maybe rethink your vacation.

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Bad Tourist Behavior Is Shutting Down Hawaii's Iconic Stairway To Heaven

• Hawaii's Haiku Stairs are being removed after a years-long disagreement over their use.
• Many residents protested the Stairway to Heaven's removal.
• The stairs should be removed before 2024 ends.

It only takes a few bad apples to ruin it for everyone. That has always been true and likely will always be true. Hiking Hawaii's iconic Haiku Stairs (called the Stairway to Heaven) has long been controversial but now the picturesque staircase is being torn down. In 2021, the future of the Haiku Stairs remained uncertain , but there were still ongoing fights to save the stairs.

The Haiku Stairs are made up of 3,922 steps making their way along a 2,800-foot mountain trail in Kaneohe. They used to belong to the military and have never fully been open to the public. Kaneohe is one of the quiet gems of Ohau boasting many things to see and do — besides illegally hiking the stairs — and soon, visitors will have to find other activities to enjoy as the Stairway to Heaven will be removed.

Hawaii Opted To Remove The Stairway To Heaven

The city council voted to remove the haiku stairs in 2021 and announced on 10 april 2024 that removing the stairs will start at the end of april.

CNN reported that the Stairway to Heaven leading up to Ko'olau is to be torn down as tourists continue to access the off-limits site. The stairs were built during World War II by the US Navy, but they have been closed to the public since 1987. Mayor Rick Blangiardi stated, “I can promise you that this was not a capricious decision.”

Persons caught attempting to access the Stairs are liable for a trespassing citation and a $1000 fine.

Despite being off-limits, the stairs continue to attract many YouTubers, TikTokers, and other thrill-seekers who decide to trespass. The city says the Haiku Stairs constitute a significant liability and expense for the city.

• Removing the Haiku Stairs will take six months or more and cost $2.5 million.

The city council cited public safety and stopping illegal trespassing, addressing significant liability for the city, the concerns of nearby neighbors, and preserving the natural beauty of the area as factors influencing the decision.

10 Places In The U.S. To Live For Year-Round Hiking

Friends of haiku stairs & the fight to preserve the stairway to heaven, despite being considered unsafe, the friends of haiku stairs claim they are safe and that most residents on the island wish to preserve them.

The Friends of Haiku Stairs stated they spearheaded the fight to save the stairs, claiming that the "Stairway to Heaven" is an iconic landmark and historic monument. They dispute the council calling them dangerous. They say the Haiku Stairs are one of the safest hikes on the island, with no deaths or serious injuries recorded on the stairs due to a fall, and that there have been no lawsuits against the city in 80 years.

According to the Friend of Haiku Stairs , most people (over 90% of those comments submitted) favor keeping the stairs.

"...over 5,000 public comments were submitted with more than 90% favoring preservation. A professional public opinion poll in April 2022 confirmed that a clear majority of O‘ahu residents want to save the Stairs not destroy them. The Stairs are a historic World War II monument eligible for the National Historic Register. They offer a unique, world-class hiking experience, treasured for generations. It would be tragic to lose them." - Friends of Haiku Stairs

While many may lament their loss, fortunately, Oahu boasts plenty of other excellent hiking trails that everyone can enjoy and explore the stunning tropical beauty of the island. The Haiku Stairs were just one of the many secret, scenic, and unique hikes found across the Hawaiian Islands .

Explore The Beauty of Diamond Head: A Must-See in Oahu

Background & history of the stairway to heaven, the stairs were first built by the navy in 1942 and made into steel stairs in the 1950s before being abandoned in 1987.

The Haiku Stairs climb Oahu's famous Ko'olau mountain range (designated a National Natural Landmark since 1972). The mountain range is not strictly a mountain range but a fragmented remnant of the island's eastern shield volcano. The original volcano was destroyed in prehistoric times when it slid cataclysmically into the ocean.

Timeline of the Stairway to Heaven:

• First built: 1942
• Metal stairs installed: 1950s
• Abandoned: 1987
• Vote to demolish them: 2021
• Demolish date: From end of April 2024

The Stairway to Heaven is a steep, steel step structure built by the US Navy in 1942 to provide pedestrian access to old communication facilities on Oahu. The Haiku Radio Station was a top-secret facility that transmitted to US Navy ships operating in the Pacific. The radio station was commissioned the next year, 1943.

The stairs were wooden at that time, but these were replaced with metal steps and ramps in the 1950s. The radio station, along with access to the stairs, closed in 1987.

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Sydney Sweeney Poses Upside Down During Vacation: 'Hanging in Hawaii'

The 'Anyone But You' actress has been sharing her daily dose of travel content

Gilbert Flores/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty 

Sydney Sweeney is in vacation mode!

On Monday, April 22, the Madame Web actress, 26, posted a trio of Instagram photos modeling a denim short set with a black bikini top. 

“ One sec hanging in Hawaii ,” her quite literal photo caption read. 

The actress was photographed hanging upside down, using the top rail of a Jeep for support. An orange Miu Miu handbag covered her face in the shot.

Sweeney has been sharing her daily dose of photos documenting her travels. On Sunday, April 21, she shared more Instagram photos from a tropical trip to Mexico. One carousel showed her on a boat with a furry friend, a Polaroid collage of herself with friends and other images of the group hanging out together. The dog made a second appearance, this time resting in the sand with a sombrero. 

"good times and tan lines," she captioned the post.

“Syd this might be your cutest and most iconic post yet,” one fan commented.

Another post from Sunday saw Sweeney dancing on the beach during sunset as a mariachi band played music behind her. 

The day prior, Sweeney shared an Instagram carousel detailing her attempt at kitesurfing before having a total wipeout moment . 

“Sorry i couldn’t make it i had a board meeting ,” she captioned the upload. 

The cover photo showed Sweeney standing on the seat of a boat with a harness around her midsection while wearing water shoes.

In the first video, her friends could be heard hyping her up as a jetski helped to power her into the air. The Euphoria alum got a bit of lift before she came down into the water as the video ended.

Sweeney looked like a pro in a second clip with no wipeout in sight. 

She appeared to be extremely focused as she glided across the waves while a man’s voice instructed her off-camera. 

“Good! Let that bar out a little bit. Lean back, yes!” he said as she got closer. “Bar out a little, good!”

sydney sweeney/instagram

In another video, Sweeney let out a nervous scream as she flew completely off of her board while holding on to the kitesurfing bar. 

“Oh dear,” the man’s voice said.

After landing in the water, Sweeney was a good sport about the blooper. 

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“I flew!” she yelled back to the boat while laughing. Her carousel also included a cheeky photo in her swim gear as she looked back at the camera.

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