Have visitors finally overstayed their welcome in Hawaii?

["Roger"]

CNN story with the above headline.

Link

 

[Rjbeach2003]

Interesting. Because a great number of travelers don't use common sense. I don't even those who view Hawaii as a theme park, abide by rules and laws. There are economic forces in Hawaii, the hospitality industry, etc that want more and more tourists coming to the islands.
It's just amazing how tone deaf a great number of people are with regard to visiting anywhere. Many of the complaints Hawaii residents have can be echoed elsewhere in the world.

While harassing dolphins, turtles and other wildlife, there are Hawaii based companies that offer tours that do just that. I have seen people getting close to turtles and seen photos of people sitting on them. Only once, on the Big Island, was there a Park Ranger there to tell people to stay away from the turtles and explain why.

How many ads have you seen for "swim with dolphins"? Again leading visitors to believe that doing so it a violation. The tour companies don't worry because there is little enforcement. Then comes the legitimate complaints about vacation rentals in residential areas. I know Airbnb and VRBO are popular and a way for folks living on the mainland to afford a place in Hawaii, but the proliferation is destroying neighborhoods and taking housing options away from permanent residents.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Sadly, I think I need to concur with decisions such as limiting the number of visitors at Ha'ena Park in Kauai'i.

In Zihua now, which we appreciate as a less heavily trafficked locale than Puerto Vallarta where we often stayed in the past. (And which we gravitated to after being put off by Los Cabos.) Zihua is probably much like PV was 30 or 40 years ago.

But as we look over the bay at the hills, and all of the new developments on the beaches, we presume that Zihua/Ixtapa is turning the next PV.

 

[easyrider]

That really isn't news is it ? Most of the people living in Hawaii dislike everything about tourists except their money, imo. Many "born on Island" residents can't even afford to live in Hawaii anymore.

Bill

 

[teehlee]

Tour companies that conduct activities that are damaging to the land or wildlife are not run by Native Hawaiians. Also, it's so untrue and deeply offensive to say that Hawaiians want tourists money. Most Hawaiians (Kanaka, not "Hawaii-born" people) would be glad to drastically reduce the foreign population including tourists and non-Hawaiians who move there. We don't care about tourist money. Hawaii is worth more than that. We don't care for mainland and foreign companies exploiting and destroying the islands for their profit while actual natives are forced to live on the beach in their cars. Honestly, tourism has destroyed Oahu and is now destroying Maui.

If you visit Hawaii, deal only with companies owned by Native Hawaiians and you will have a completely different experience.

 

[Pathways]

Tour companies that conduct activities that are damaging to the land or wildlife are not run by Native Hawaiians. Also, it's so untrue and deeply offensive to say that Hawaiians want tourists money. Most Hawaiians (Kanaka, not "Hawaii-born" people) would be glad to drastically reduce the foreign population including tourists and non-Hawaiians who move there. We don't care about tourist money. Hawaii is worth more than that. We don't care for mainland and foreign companies exploiting and destroying the islands for their profit while actual natives are forced to live on the beach in their cars. Honestly, tourism has destroyed Oahu and is now destroying Maui.

If you visit Hawaii, deal only with companies owned by Native Hawaiians and you will have a completely different experience.

Anyone who uses the term 'we' in an opinion piece as though they speak for an entire group makes the entire statement suspect. People are 'forced to live on the beach in their cars'? Struggling to buy that.

 

[MLR]

I agree that it is more and more difficult for those born and raised in Hawaii to actually LIVE in Hawaii. But not everyone wants to live as the ancient Hawaiians lived (totally off the land) etc. As far as I can see, most people living in Hawaii make their living in some way or form from tourism. Maybe a 'study' could be done to find out what would happen to people who live in Hawaii if tourism was drastically cut.

We love visiting Hawaii and we we try to respect the land and its people by staying stay on the paths - we don't take anything but photos - we don't swim with dolphins, or try to touch wildlife. We pack out what we pack in and onto the beaches. We own timeshare there and will miss it when we are too old to travel. I know there is still animosity about how the land was 'taken' - but that isn't my fault. It is sad to think that many resent our visiting their island.

I have seen some people living in tents in parks - but could not tell what nationality they were. Doubt they were all 'Native Hawaiians.' I know land prices are crazy there and rent is high and many have to work more than one job to afford to live there. But the same is true in CA and in many places on mainland USA.

 

[CaliSunshine]

Overtourism is a problem across the world, whether it's Hawaii, or Everest, or Venice. People are getting richer around the world, and they're taking more vacations. The sad fact is that when it's just a couple of rich obnoxious tourists it's one thing, but when it becomes a large amount of middle class obnoxious tourists, the system and the environment strains to cope.

 

[MLR]

Overtourism is a problem across the world, whether it's Hawaii, or Everest, or Venice. People are getting richer around the world, and they're taking more vacations. The sad fact is that when it's just a couple of rich obnoxious tourists it's one thing, but when it becomes a large amount of middle class obnoxious tourists, the system and the environment strains to cope.

Please define 'obnoxious' - is just BEING there obnoxious? Just wondering. We have always thought we were being respectful tourists - wherever we go. Maybe just leaving home is enough to count as obnoxious. That would be sad.

We always subscribed to Mark Twain's famous quote:
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”

 

[CaliSunshine]

I think obnoxious in the sense that people tend to behave differently when on vacation than at home, added to the fact that people in different places behave differently and have different expectations, so there will always be more friction when dealing with a tourist than with someone who's been living in an area for a long time.

 

[Icc5]

I think lots of us born in California feel the exact same way. I know my family and our extended family were all born here and now we're lucky if we can even get together for a birthday or the holidays. Traffic is so bad we used to feel all the traffic was in Southern California but for the past 25 years or so we are right in the middle of it. None of us work in tech or make the big bucks. Kids can't afford to buy a house or rent an apartment without several roommates. Our house value keeps going up but doesn't do anything for us except raise our taxes.
My wife and I are both retired and have always planned on living our lives here where we grew up. We are fine with visitors but please don't live here or get a job here. Maybe if the tech industry would leave we could go back to a great place for families that are from here.

 

[klpca]

I think lots of us born in California feel the exact same way. I know my family and our extended family were all born here and now we're lucky if we can even get together for a birthday or the holidays. Traffic is so bad we used to feel all the traffic was in Southern California but for the past 25 years or so we are right in the middle of it. None of us work in tech or make the big bucks. Kids can't afford to buy a house or rent an apartment without several roommates. Our house value keeps going up but doesn't do anything for us except raise our taxes.
My wife and I are both retired and have always planned on living our lives here where we grew up. We are fine with visitors but please don't live here or get a job here. Maybe if the tech industry would leave we could go back to a great place for families that are from here.

I haven't been to the beach in the summer for years. Parking is a nightmare then you get there and the crowds are obnoxious. I had an interaction with some visitors from another state a few years ago. They essentially told me that they paid a lot of money to vacation here and that they were entitled to things like parking because they had "paid good money for this". (We weren't fighting or anything like that, just discussing the parking issue while were were doing a boat tour of the bay). I have to say that that comment took me aback. Just because you spent a couple thousand dollars to stay a week certainly doesn't entitle you to anything more than any other person. I can imagine Hawaiians are hearing a lot of that kind of crazy talk. For most folks, Hawaii is a splurge and there are some who believe that the amount of dollars spent somehow equates to the amount of things that you are entitled to. Yes at the Four Seasons, no at a public beach or trails.

When you live in a tourist destination city having an influx of visitors brings in dollars, but it absolutely changes the day-to-day experience for the residents and not in a good way. (I'm looking at you rental car drivers who cross four lanes of the freeway to take an exit instead of driving to the next exit and circling back). I used to post helpful hints about our city on Tripadvisor but no more. I keep my local favorites (mostly hiking trails) to myself and if someone asks for recommendations I give them the same suggestions that are on most typical sites. Fair enough for everyone. I don't seek out "local" experiences when I travel either. We stay in tourist areas and I am fine with that. Neighborhoods are for neighbors, not tourists imo. People need to be able to live their lives in some kind of peace and I can have a great trip staying in a timeshare somewhere. I think that it is all about mutual respect.

 

[pacman]

I think if visitors really had overstayed our welcome, we would see it in the general attitude of the people there. We've been to Hawaii probably 30-40 times, we go twice every year, just got back yesterday. We have always felt the people there very friendly. It seems genuine, not fake. I like them. I don't think this would be the case if they disliked tourists. If they were tired of tourists, we would sense it. There are alway exceptions, but our experience has had very very few exceptions. We travel a lot, and have experienced the negative attitude, so do know what that is about (ie Bahamas).

 

[pspercy]

https://www.kitv.com/story/41834551/maui-county-considering-ban-on-all-shortterm-vacation-rentals
Already in effect on Molokai apparently. I wonder what their definition of "short term" may be.

 

[Fredflintstone]

https://www.kitv.com/story/41834551/maui-county-considering-ban-on-all-shortterm-vacation-rentals
Already in effect on Molokai apparently. I wonder what their definition of "short term" may be.

Hard to enforce. If they ban Airbnb, what’s stopping them from inviting guests to their home and giving Maholo (cash) as a thank you?

Hotels would love this as prices might run amuck. I suppose Hawaiian timeshares would benefit too.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Henry M.]

While I use AirBnB occasionally, mostly in Europe, I think it disrupts the housing situation for locals. It would be one thing if someone truly opens up their own home to others, but it is quite another when half a neighborhood switches from providing local housing to running a de-facto hotel business for short term rentals that cost many times the monthly long-term rental rate. I wouldn't like the neighborhood where I live to turn into AirBnB heaven, with the corresponding transient traffic, and don't expect others would like it in their back yard either. We're seeing it locally in Austin, where people in the east side of the city can no longer afford just the property taxes on property they outright own because of gentrification and a rising short term rental boom.

Regarding overstaying a welcome, I think there are a small minority of visitors that are simply obnoxious, with no regard for others or local property. However, the sheer number of even the most respectful visitors can overwhelm the local facilities. I think books, like the Revealed line for each of the islands, are great for first time visitors, but they pretty much ruin the spots they highlight because they become over-run with people, whether those people are respectful or not. It only takes a few hooligans to make it such that all tourists become unwelcome. Just like with housing, I wouldn't like hordes of people hiking along the stream in my back yard, regardless of how nice they all were. Throw in a bad apple even once a week, and I'd do what I can to prevent any tourist from coming into my neighborhood.

 

[slip]

https://www.kitv.com/story/41834551/maui-county-considering-ban-on-all-shortterm-vacation-rentals
Already in effect on Molokai apparently. I wonder what their definition of "short term" may be.

I believe it was anything under 6 months but not totally sure. The problem they were trying to avoid on Molokai was people building and buying houses/second homes and just renting them out when they were not using them. It was an issue with neighborhoods being disrupted by these rentals. So they completely got rid of them and they are only allowed in the zones meant for short term rentals, so the hotel and local condo communities.

My condo is located in the zone for rentals and now that no homes can be rented we will see what that means for visitors to Molokai. I am guessing it will deter people from coming if they need more accommodations than a condo can provide. From what I am hearing, there are going to be more houses listed since some were bought with rental income as a big part of the purchase.

 

[lynne]

I believe it was anything under 6 months but not totally sure. The problem they were trying to avoid on Molokai was people building and buying houses/second homes and just renting them out when they were not using them. It was an issue with neighborhoods being disrupted by these rentals. So they completely got rid of them and they are only allowed in the zones meant for short term rentals, so the hotel and local condo communities.

My condo is located in the zone for rentals and now that no homes can be rented we will see what that means for visitors to Molokai. I am guessing it will deter people from coming if they need more accommodations than a condo can provide. From what I am hearing, there are going to be more houses listed since some were bought with rental income as a big part of the purchase.

Here on the Big Island these short term rentals that are not in resort designated areas are an issue. These homes are large with private pools, many bedrooms, an occasional tennis court and when large groups are here, they are on vacation and do not treat the property as a neighborhood home where family live full time. Between the noise, multiple vehicles racing around our roads and complete disregard for the area that they are renting in, we were very happy to see that the county in Hawaii has disallowed these rentals.

There are many large homes in resort designated areas that can accommodate large groups. It is very unsettling to live in a non-resort neighborhood and a revolving group of strangers next to our home. With that said, homes that do not have resort amenities (private pools, tennis courts...) have a different type of vacation renter as they will go out during the day and explore the island and will come back to the rental without creating an party atmosphere 24/7 during their stay.

 

[slip]

Here on the Big Island these short term rentals that are not in resort designated areas are an issue. These homes are large with private pools, many bedrooms, an occasional tennis court and when large groups are here, they are on vacation and do not treat the property as a neighborhood home where family live full time. Between the noise, multiple vehicles racing around our roads and complete disregard for the area that they are renting in, we were very happy to see that the county in Hawaii has disallowed these rentals.

There are many large homes in resort designated areas that can accommodate large groups. It is very unsettling to live in a non-resort neighborhood and a revolving group of strangers next to our home. With that said, homes that do not have resort amenities (private pools, tennis courts...) have a different type of vacation renter as they will go out during the day and explore the island and will come back to the rental without creating an party atmosphere 24/7 during their stay.

Yes, pretty much the same as Molokai then, except Molokai decided they didn’t want any renting in the residential areas and I definitely understand it.

 

[bbodb1]

I have a feeling the answer to this question just became a whole lot different.....

 

[MLR]

I have a feeling the answer to this question just became a whole lot different.....

I agree. Sadly, those who depend on tourism for their livelihoods - and that is a VERY LARGE NUMBER in Hawaii - are going to find it very difficult in the short term and likely for the long term. Everyone is going to be hurt by the physical as well as fiscal effects of this virus. Be safe everyone.

 

[LisaRex]

Have y'all tried to visit any of our State/National Parks in the summer recently? Egads. We visited Antelope Canyon a few years back, and while sitting in an outside diner, could hear at least 7 different languages. It was wonderful and terrible at the same time.

Recently, I've seen tons of articles about destinations experiencing tourist trauma before this pandemic, including Italy, Easter Island, and even Iceland.

It's the age old battle between preservation and development...and striking a balance between an industry that is healthy for your economy and one that tips the balance towards being destructive. Obviously, the best place to accomplish this balance is by restricting development. No place to stay = no new visitors. Once you build all these mega-hotels, it's hard to put the cork back in the genie bottle.

I do think that COVID19 may stifle short term tourism to foreign countries, which might help reset things for a bit, but in the long term, LOCAL politicians should be held accountable for keeping tourism to a manageable size, for the sake of the locals and the ecology.

 

[Kapolei]

Hawaii needs to be labeled the place that dodged the bullet. If we get through this without widespread impact, tourism will surge here. People will come back in droves as this will be one of the best, safest places to be. On the other hand, if Hawaii turns into New York or Italy we are in for some real trouble. I think we will know where we are headed in the next couple of weeks.

 

[Harry]

We are frequent visitors to beautiful Hawaii since 1985. We are fortunate to have met many who have been born and raised there. I go out of my way to speak to locals, and a homeless gentleman I met living at the new Hilton in Kehei, was more informative about the development than anyone else.
Our Grand Canyon in Arizona has experienced many disrespectful and careless tourists. Luckily the Rangers and volunteer groups keep a watchful eye out for them. I have noticed more and more volunteers in Hawaii keeping watch over monk seals and sea turtles. They deserve a word of thanks.

 

[Luanne]

We are frequent visitors to beautiful Hawaii since 1985. We are fortunate to have met many who have been born and raised there. I go out of my way to speak to locals, and a homeless gentleman I met living at the new Hilton in Kehei, was more informative about the development than anyone else.
Our Grand Canyon in Arizona has experienced many disrespectful and careless tourists. Luckily the Rangers and volunteer groups keep a watchful eye out for them. I have noticed more and more volunteers in Hawaii keeping watch over monk seals and sea turtles. They deserve a word of thanks.

I'm curious. You mentioned a homeless gentleman living at the new Hilton in Kihei. Since there is no building there is he just living somewhere on the grounds?