Well, this paints an unpleasant picture, eh? (Lahaina, Hana: RV parks, 2013)

[Tulemutt]

The tourism is destroying Hawaii dilemma progresses …

'They have invaded': Hawaii's road to Hana wrecked by influencers, tourists
https://www.sfgate.com/hawaii/articl...l-16338529.php

As an on again / off again part-timer / former (military) resident who still wrestles with the temptation to return full-time … *sigh* … I dunno.

[GoldKona]

If only there was a way for tourists and locals to get to Hana and back without cars.....https://honolulutransit.org/#gsc.tab=0

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by GoldKona

If only there was a way for tourists and locals to get to Hana and back without cars.....https://honolulutransit.org/#gsc.tab=0

Well, okay. But the problem headlined (road to Hana) is only an emblematic one that represents the huge strain of over-tourism on all the major islands.

Limiting cars on the road to Hana …
Lottery for Hanauma Bay …
Etc …

[Hemlock140]

I'm glad we made that trip in 2013, it was a beautiful, a real fun day, with very little traffic. It's just like all of the other major attractions, they get discovered, become popular, and are never the same again. Look at Yosemite, requiring reservations now, Yellowstone, and Disneyland.

[whtviper1]

That's an old article - Current projections show that August will be 32 percent over the pre-pandemic high and September will reach an astounding 36 percent increase.

Not only are those statements false - September and now October have had outright abysmal tourism numbers.

This bears repeating again - besides the military which Maui really doesn't benefit from, no other viable industry exists on the islands. No tourists - a lot of people don't work. I'd be more concerned nearly 1/3 of the population (54,000 people) on Maui is on Medicaid rather than people going to Hana.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

That's an old article - Current projections show that August will be 32 percent over the pre-pandemic high and September will reach an astounding 36 percent increase.

Not only are those statements false - September and now October have had outright abysmal tourism numbers.

This bears repeating again - besides the military which Maui really doesn't benefit from, no other viable industry exists on the islands. No tourists - a lot of people don't work. I'd be more concerned nearly 1/3 of the population (54,000 people) on Maui is on Medicaid rather than people going to Hana.

The Road to Hana doesn't in itself make any money for anyone, in our case for example we stayed at a rented condo in Lahaina, and packed a lunch, spending nothing while on the road to Hana and back. Still, it was one of the main reasons that we decided to go to Maui rather than one of the other islands that trip.

[Arktikos]

Yes, it does make it sound like tourists are becoming less welcome on this route. Not that there are many locals living along that road!

I've done it a handful of times, but not in the last decade. There's an orchard of interest in this area that I've wanted to see for many years. Perhaps it will never happen.

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/t...mian-hana.html

[WaikikiBoy]

I'm not a fan of "influencers" and feel they normally do harm than good wherever they go. Perhaps the State could figure out and implement an "Influencer Tax". Afterall, as an "influencer" they are conducting business in the State and using their social media accounts to generate income. Most are even writing off the expense of their travel.

Maybe a tax you would have to pay upon entry to hawaii based on the number of followers you have on your social media accounts ... or a fee per photo or video you upload ... or a sliding scale based on the number of views your hawaii uploads receive.

I know it's likely not something that could be implemented in a practice, but it's interesting to think about it.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by WaikikiBoy

Maybe a tax you would have to pay upon entry to hawaii based on the number of followers you have on your social media accounts ... or a fee per photo or video you upload ... or a sliding scale based on the number of views your hawaii uploads receive.

Nobody benefits from a tax except an already bloated Hawaii government.

[NorthofHere]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

I'm glad we made that trip in 2013, it was a beautiful, a real fun day, with very little traffic. It's just like all of the other major attractions, they get discovered, become popular, and are never the same again. Look at Yosemite, requiring reservations now, Yellowstone, and Disneyland.

Much of this influx in tourism is due to being locked up by Covid. It will end. Gas prices are going up and so are other costs like food. That hits the budget and people reconsider travel. People purchased RV's thinking they could avoid Covid and inundated RV parks, state parks and federal parks but are quickly realizing how expensive it really is when this RV sits most of the year parked once they had to go back to work and the kids returned to school not to mention maintenance that has to be done.