Here's a link to the interview where the mayor made those comments. It's an interesting Q&A.
mauinow.com
I think that's very true. TS owners are regulars. They know their way around, they stay for a week or more. They are affluent enough to have disposable money to spend on a timeshare purchase and annual MF. They hit the tourists spots, once or twice, but then they've been there and done that. I've noticed that TS owners also tend to patronize the "local" restaurants more because they get to know the area better. I view TS owners as becoming more like short-term residents than tourists.
I really miss the good old days in Miami when we had close to no tourism and it was an affordable place to live. I do not live in Miami now and I really do not like it now. It is too crowded and the lifestyle is too materialistic and shallow for my taste. Miami is a lot like LA. I lived in LA for a year and the values of today’s Miami are a lot like LA.I’m not sure what the new norm will be nor what it means for quality vs quantity, but 6mo.-1yr to get some tourism back will be a tough long road for Maui.Here's a link to the interview where the mayor made those comments. It's an interesting Q&A.
Hawai‘i Tourism Now: Maui Mayor Michael Victorino Responds to Questions About Maui’s Tourism Industry | Maui Now
Maui Mayor Michael Victorino sits down with Pacific Media Group COO and MauiNow director, Jack Dugan to answer questions regarding tourism’s role in Maui’s economic future and its residents. The Mayor highlighted the integral role tourism plays on Maui’s hospitality-based economy. “Right now...
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I don't think it's realistic for Hawaii to try and change how tourism there is accomplished. There are millions of tourists from Japan and China who visit every year, and they tend to come in groups and stay in hotels. Many of those same hotels are owned by Japanese and Chinese companies. I don't see how they can swerve the visiting public away from that and into a timeshare-like vacation. People want instant gratification, daily maid service, hula lessons on the lawn, and fireworks shows on Friday nights.
As to the number of tourists being cut down, again, I think it's a bit late to try and do that. When I lived on Oahu back in the day, they were complaining that at any given time on any given day, even at the highest-occupancy times of the year, there were more than 3000 empty hotel rooms in Waikiki. They were even putting up welfare families in empty hotel rooms because there wasn't enough low rent housing to go around. There are many more hotel rooms now, in much larger hotels. Is the occupancy rate still leaving many empty rooms? Are they going to lock off half the rooms and tell those hotels they can't rent them out? Are they going to reduce occupancy permits? That'd be a fast lawsuit, I'm sure.
It's a ponderous question, since Hawaii serves so many different kinds of tourists. I don't see how they can do it. Raising prices and reducing the number of rental cars will only force more congestion on buses and taxis.
Dave
I do. I wouldn't underestimate the power of a determined government. The power to tax, to permit, to regulate. Occupancy limits. Lots of tools at their disposal. Consider London/Heathrow, for instance. They added a substantial tax to flights years ago specifically to reduce the number of people flying through the airport (for environmental reasons I believe). Hawaii has already shown a willingness and ability to impose short-stay taxes and fees. And, now, perhaps more than ever before, they can justify the need for tourist-paid taxes.
It's encouraging that they are starting to talk about tourism. It may be a while off, at least it's starting to be a topic. I suspect they will have to engage and partner with the airlines. They have a common goal, and I'm sure the airlines would be happy to work with the state in testing protocols to get people flying again. I hope the plan, when it arrives, will have target dates, even if they are not guaranteed. I'm not a fan of thermal screening though. That's going to miss too many. Heck, just take 2-3 Tylenol an hour before landing. I'd be happy to pay a $200 "surcharge" for a test either before arriving at the airport or when I get there, just to know that everyone on the plane was also tested, and almost everyone arriving in Hawaii is virus free. And I'd be happy to pay a 5% hotel tax to fund governmental and healthcare operations. If I can't afford an extra $50 on every $1000 I spend, then I can't afford to vacation in Hawaii.
Thanks you.
I guess that rules out ts owners.
I don't think it's realistic for Hawaii to try and change how tourism there is accomplished. There are millions of tourists from Japan and China who visit every year, and they tend to come in groups and stay in hotels. Many of those same hotels are owned by Japanese and Chinese companies. I don't see how they can swerve the visiting public away from that and into a timeshare-like vacation. People want instant gratification, daily maid service, hula lessons on the lawn, and fireworks shows on Friday nights.
As to the number of tourists being cut down, again, I think it's a bit late to try and do that. When I lived on Oahu back in the day, they were complaining that at any given time on any given day, even at the highest-occupancy times of the year, there were more than 3000 empty hotel rooms in Waikiki. They were even putting up welfare families in empty hotel rooms because there wasn't enough low rent housing to go around. There are many more hotel rooms now, in much larger hotels. Is the occupancy rate still leaving many empty rooms? Are they going to lock off half the rooms and tell those hotels they can't rent them out? Are they going to reduce occupancy permits? That'd be a fast lawsuit, I'm sure.
It's a ponderous question, since Hawaii serves so many different kinds of tourists. I don't see how they can do it. Raising prices and reducing the number of rental cars will only force more congestion on buses and taxis.
Dave