Photo courtesy of Flickr.
2018 was the seventh straight year of record tourist arrivals to Hawai‘i. Visitor spending has grown rapidly too, generating historically high tax receipts and new jobs. But as more tourists crowd the islands and slow traffic, it’s time to ask: How much tourism can Hawai‘i really handle? Should more priority be placed on diversifying the local economy? What effect has catering to tourists had on Hawai‘i’s culture and environment? And what can Hawai‘i learn from other popular destinations about how to preserve infrastructure, culture, and identity in the face of mass tourism? Executive director of the Center for Responsible Travel Martha Honey, public policy researcher and former president of the Hawai‘i Economic Association John Knox, cultural tourism specialist and former Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee Peter Apo, and Frank Haas, marketing consultant and former vice president of tourism marketing at the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, visit Zócalo to consider the perils of overtourism for the Aloha State and the world.
461 Cooke St.
Honolulu, HI 96813
The Takeaway
Hawai‘i Doesn’t Need More Tourists, It Needs Better Tourists
From Kaua‘i to Croatia, the World’s Increasingly Crowded Vacation Spots Seek Visitors Who Spend More Money—And Actually Talk to Locals
Rapidly rising tourism in Hawai‘i and around the world poses new and complicated economic, environmental, and cultural challenges that in turn will require better management and well-designed restrictions on visitors, …