Hawai'i Doesn't Want Visitors Right Now, or Ever. Here's Why.

End-stage capitalism and global over population are both core issues here.
Plus many powerful people are simply not that nice.

This article makes some very broad assumptions. First, I could say the same thing where I’m from in Southern California. My “sleepy” little beach town in North San Diego was considered a “working class” town before urban sprawl and the influx of people moving South from both the Bay Area as well as LA Counties. Our home prices are currently up over 500% from around 1999-2000. I wish no one would come to where I live but unfortunately population growth coupled with low cost travel has affected us all. Additionally, people want to visit areas of the US that are beautiful (weather, beaches, etc).

This article downplays the importance of tourism dollars into the local economy. Tourism is greater that 20% of Hawaii’s economy and is its largest industry. Without it, roads, schools, jobs would be greatly affected just from the tax revenue alone.

“Tourism is the largest single source of private capital for Hawai’i’s economy. In 2019, Hawai’i’s tourism economy has recorded. ➢ State Tax Revenue: $2.07 billion (1.4%,$28.5 million YOY versus 2018). ➢ Visitor Arrivals: 10,424,995 (+5.4% YOY versus 2018).”

While it may be wishful thinking, tourism is only going to increase and like I experienced in my not-so-small anymore So Cal town, you better learn to make lemonade out of the lemons you are referencing in you are going to be in for a lifetime of disappointment.

I am appalled at the ignorant comments on this blog post. Before you comment anything, did you even read the article? Native people are asking you not to come? DONT COME. Are you stupid? Colonization isn’t okay now and it never has been. Tourism dollars obviously don’t help native people. It’s not that hard to understand. The comment saying you’re booking a flight to Maui, you’re disgusting. Stay home. They are suffering right now and don’t want or need you.

It seems a little short sighted to think tourism isn’t needed for the local economies, even if you aren’t in an industry supported by it. However, being someone who works in the hospitality industry, I understand lots of people are just not respectful in general, and although it’s not the majority, they are the ones who are remembered. I can understand why the locals would feel this way. We will be visiting in a few weeks and tried to be mindful of booking tours with locally owned companies and will try to eat at locally owned places. We will most definitely be respectful of the lands and traditions as we are merely guests in someone else’s home.

It’s sad what they have done to Hawaii, and they are trying to do the SAME THING to Puerto Rico, but don’t get it twisted. At the end of the day, we are Latinos and if we ousted a Governor, trust and believe that we will fight this.

That’s okay I’ve been there before several yrs ago & never really cared for it way too humid & people there seemed rude just like the person in this article who doesn’t want us there & says all the other locals don’t want us there but now since your state is being blown away from the wildfires don’t expect the rest of the states then to help you out financially. Your paradise state can help itself out, I’m done with states & countries with a disaster & talks about tourists behind their back saying they don’t want them there then beg us for financial help when they have a disaster well you Hawaiian people can help your ownselves out. I’m done with haters, kidnappers, thieves, murderers & rude, mean belligerent people!!!! And here I was going to send you a big donation for your fire in Maui but guess what honey? I’ve decided not to after reading this nasty awful article. Good luck with all the wildfires going on there I’m sure they’ll be plenty more.

This rhetoric of “people should stay away” can be said about any place that has been colonized and locals being priced out. It’s not only a Hawaiian thing. I mean if we’re going to get into colonization then Mexican/Indigenous people shouldn’t be priced out of their homes in California. Telling people to stay away or not live there is just unfair. I truly understand these concerns and wholeheartedly agree disrespectful people & social media are a problem. Maybe instead of getting angry with tourists teach them Hawaii’s beautiful culture and history (even the part where the US stole the land which is always a sad story)

Proud Polynesians deserve to be independent if they never rallied to join the USA. Arresting their Queen and handing out land to Dole and all the other morally bankrupt business people who “developed” Hawaii is a wound that never healed in the Hawaiian people! They can immigrate to the USA if they want to and visa requirements SHOULD exist both ways imo. It’s been years of “we can’t stand the USA” so let’s pay rent for the bases and just get the hell outta there.

I’ve read many studies done on the environment in Hawaii. I totally believe that tourism is hurting Hawaii. Go somewhere else in vacation. So many beautiful places to visit and explore.

No worries, you got your wish. No one will be coming to Maui anymore.

Don’t come here, but we want your money. That’s about the gist of it. Even more so with Maui on fire. Like another country wouldn’t just take them over if they weren’t part of the US. Aloha my ass.

Tourism has it’s costs, and locals everywhere feel the pain of tourism. This is not unique to Hawaii. But local governments can regulate it to mitigate its negative impacts while keeping the profits, which is the bargain. The level of hate towards tourists is however unique to Hawaii. Even more hate towards US citizens who legitimately move to Hawaii to make it better with their specialized skills, or come and pay high property taxes in the coffers of the local government. These are respectful citizens who want to do everything well culture-wise, and are a net positive to Hawaii’s economy, but are met with extreme racism. Add to that that only 20% of residents are native Hawaiians, while 25% are non-native whites, and even more of various Asian ethnicities not native to Hawaii.

Why is that? My explanation is that local government corruption, which is using native Hawaiians as puppets for their own grift. Hawaii is receiving huge amounts of money from the federal government, often for illegal programs that are conditional on race. If you have wondered where systemic racism still exists in USA, here it is. You need to be of Hawaiian race (defined precisely as percentage of blood quantum verifiable by blood line) to benefit from these programs. Native Hawaiians are hooked on these programs, which don’t need tourism to be funded. Local corrupt politicians and organizations are also hooked on these programs. Meanwhile it is true that native Hawaiians probably do not have to gain much from tourism. But corrupt local politicians do gain a lot from tourism, so it is here to stay.

This will not improve as long as race is codified in local programs and funding everywhere. In fact, things are getting more extreme, not less so. Hawaii is on a collision course with the US Constitution, which sooner or later will abolish these illegal programs. God bless us when that comes, as it would not be pretty

I am so much better informed now about the islands from this article. It has always saddened me the disrespect of vacationers and tourists. And it happens everywhere. I used to love to go to Sedona AZ. Just a few hours drive for me. But it has been trashed beyond belief especially during covid. People need to remember when they visit somewhere that place is someone’s home. No wonder that Hawaiians don’t want us there. Nobody has any respect or manners any more just entitlement. I’m old now but always wanted to go to the islands. I won’t go though. But I do purchase hand crafted items from artisans there and I hope that is o.k. prayers for change.

I’m from the UK and have always wanted to visit Hawaii; I’m glad I know all this now and won’t visit.

The local government welcomes tourist to hawaii they say it’s to build up the economy, lots of foreigners are selling item that came from foreign countries and the money goes back to that country to bring in more merchandise to sell, example, at the flee market or ABC stores items are purchased most with Hawaiian logo on them like “ALOHA, HAWAII “ from beach towels to hats to clothing etc. all made in a foreign country such as china using Hawaiian culture to make the sale and are purchased with cash so the tax are not recorded, how is it building up the economy, and more visitors brings up prices making it harder for the locals to survive, tourists will come spend and leave locals live there and everyday has to deal with the high cost of living from food to gas to rent to automobile registration, etc. , the greedy local politicians has no problem with that, making a good income themselves not thinking of the people that are struggling and has to work 2 to 3 jobs to get by and not enjoying their families or can’t take a vacation, And tourism causes quicker breakdowns of the infrastructure so government raises local taxes to pay for the repairs,
Getting back to the topic, that’s couple reasons why locals don’t want tourists visiting hawaii.

GAG

Replying to Jane Doe comment on July 20, 2023 at 4:22 pm and other rude comments:

Hapa kid here. I’m half Hawaiian for those of you who don’t know what that means. My mom works as a flight attendant and has to see visitors every single day. She said recently alot of people are moving here for their “mental health” and they end up leaving a few years later. She remembers them when they come back on the plane. Please don’t move to Hawai’i. Also don’t visit. How hard is it just to listen to the native people of a place who don’t want you here. How many times do we need to make videos asking you not to come. We shouldn’t have to say anything else. Any of the old people commenting on this like “I used to visit in the 1980’s” I’m sure you were glad iphones werent around to cancel you. Colonization has never been okay. Now we can just record it while its happening in real time so these qualms aren’t an out-dated complaint. They’re happening in the modern day and we can stop it hopefully before it happens.

I have alot of friends in high school who are military or who moved here and didn’t have a choice and most of them are kind or they want to learn about my culture and they know that as long as they are willing to learn or respectful, us hawaiians don’t have any resentment toward them. Some of my other hawaiian friends are less educated than the ones that moved here, like they don’t know what the kumulipo is or something. I like this blog post and agree with everything said. If you are offended by anything said here, you are probbaly one of the people the author is talking about when he says you go viral for getting too close to the seals or stepping on heiau. I remember both of those videos. Please just don’t come to hawaii. Or a bunch of hawaiians will be waiting for you on the beach to tell you to f**k off and go home.

Thank you for this insightful, frank explanation. I am heartbroken to hear of such disrespect to your home and angered by the rude comments left here. I visited Maui and O’ahu on my honeymoon but wish I’d known then what I know now. I would have made a different choice. We only experienced kindness from locals and enjoyed the time we had with them learning about their culture and heritage. But if I had it all to do over again, especially knowing that there is little to no financial benefit to native Hawaiians, we would never have come. Please forgive our ignorance and continue to teach others. I truly believe education is the door to peaceful change.

I’m from Nantucket Island and us natives hate tourists also. Their big money and elitism has ruined the place. I know exactly how the Hawaiian people feel, but like Nantucket for Hawaii its too late. Greed and unchecked capitalism has done its damage and be glad you once saw the best of it.

We are not all disrespectful or feel entitled
Some of us just want to be in touch with with the beauty of the island and to be a part of the patterns

I’m visiting Kauai with my family of 4 and have tried to be very cognizant of the fact that we are tourists here. Anywhere I go, whether it’s Hawaii or the national parks, I see ignorant Americans who have no respect or understanding of the places they are visiting. And it doesn’t take very many peope like that to ruin it for everyone. During our trip, we volunteered at the Kauai Humane Society, Hape Puna’s farm and picked up trash with Kauai’s local Surfrider chapter. There are so many things visitors can do to give back while they are here and it’s a win win because while you’re helping out, you get to know the people who live here and their traditions and the culture. Unfortunately, so much in this world is fueled by greed and that’s the same with tourism. I’ve always thought Hawaii should charge much higher tourist taxes and use that money to help local communities and maybe provide better wages. And it might lower the number of tourists if travelling became too expensive. But I guess in the end, it’s all about educating people about how to be a responsible and caring tourist. Somebody needs to create a Kokua t-shirt brand that promotes Kokua and the Aloha spirit. I’ve looked for t-shirts with Kokua written on them and have not found anything. For those that don’t know, Kokua embodies that Hawaiin spirit of giving without expecting anything in return. I feel like so many tourists are doing just the opposite. I encourage any tourists reading this to find ways to give back to Hawaii during their vacation. I can ensure you that you and your family will probably end up receiving back more than you gave. Me and my two daughters thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent volunteering.

Thank you for writing this article and explaining the reasons. I have recently begun to hear about this and wanted to find out more about it and your article was the perfect way to do so. I really appreciate all the information you put into it.

Even though it is, sadly, not surprising, it is always disheartening to hear about any disrespect of people, wildlife, or the environment. Many Americans are blinded by a belief they have the right to do whatever they like because they are American. They cannot grasp the concept their rights are not more important than someone else’s; they are spoiled children who throw temper tantrums if even a hint of “don’t do that” is in the air.

Our history classes act as if colonization was our right – it was not, and had a positive impact – it did not. While we cannot change what happened then, we can enlighten ourselves now and try our best to do things to respect the cultures that were here before us. The first way to do that is to listen to them and do ask they ask. If that means I never visit Hawai’i, so be it. I wish the Place and People well. It is a drop in the ocean toward making up for the harm my ancestors caused.

No problem. No one likes a bunch of fat greasy Hawaiians anyway

It’s a shame, I really do want to visit sometime to take in the beautiful sights. I can understand though why those that are native would not want mainlanders there. Of course I also don’t have that kind of money so there is that. I’m sorry for some of the disrespectful comments. People acting extremely entitled and like the Natives should be thankful for the tourism. It’s the main reason we get told we aren’t wanted there. Maybe one day my wife and I will visit when it’s appropriate, along with a lot of research to avoid any mishaps or disrespect to the land or culture.

Replying to Avo Tomji comment:

You sound like a major haole claiming that “back in the day” people were more accepting. Just because you got away with moving to a place where you don’t belong back then doesn’t mean its okay now. It’s the colonizer mentality that thinks “Hawaiians are welcoming” and “where’s the aloha”. I am nine generations native hawaiian with my ancestors directly linked to ali’i here and you couldn’t begin to understand the history here if it bit you in the ass. The writer of this blog post is of hawaiian decent so they have a right to have an opinion about the group of people who have displaced our families for hundreds of years. maybe do some research first before running your mouth. sounds like your time is up on maui too. time to go home braddah!

I’ve never planned on going to Hawaii (I’m not even old or rich enough LOL) but reading this was heartbreaking. The blatant disrespect from tourists is awful. I can understand why they don’t want visitors. Some of the comments here displays that perfectly. They don’t owe YOU anything. They asked you not to come and you came anyways. You got exactly what you asked for, don’t act like you’re a victim.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this. As a non-native from the continental US, I’m taking it to heart.

Reading the blatant disrespect from the other commenters to your heartfelt article only underscores your concerns. Native Hawaiians don’t owe me any sort of welcome. I’ll enjoy the islands from afar using the magic of the Internet and nature documentaries instead.

I was certainly surprised during my stay in Kauai at how unwelcome we felt. It is quite obvious that most don’t like visitors. I will never come back for that very reason. Natives ought to look in bringing back agriculture exports as a means of support because tourism isn’t their thing and they take no pride in welcoming travelers.

Replying to Alex Rodriguez Comment

🙄

Just came back from working in Hawaii. Basically we hosted a multi-million dollar automotive press event, which brought a massive chunk of cash flow to the Big Island to say the least. We’re all about local business, so this wasn’t some commercial cash-grab….it all went to the little guys. After 2 weeks I flew my wife in just to kick back and have some vacation time for another week. Im not gonna get too deep here, but I can honestly say, Hawaiians are not “welcoming” at all! We felt unwanted the entire time we were there, and it was extremely disappointing.

Being from Miami, and having visited many Caribbean islands, you definitely don’t get the island hospitality here. Just a “hurry up and get the fuck outta here” attitude. I will never go back, and I’m sure they are fine with that, but they seem to forget that even tho many Hawaiians avoid touristy jobs, the entire state depends on tourist dollars. I think maybe they need a little reminder of that, and maybe a short “embargo” would put them back on track to understanding that concept.

Aloha/Mahalo? Doesn’t mean shit anymore….they don’t give a crap about you, your family, your business, or your presence! They even have derogatory terms like “HOWLEY”…..that they shout at mainlanders out in the open. Hawaii, and Hawaiians in general, can suck a boner!