With its stunning beaches, popular cultural sites, and breathtaking natural landscapes, it can’t be denied that Hawaii has captivated the hearts of many travelers. Tourists can be seen mixing with the locals in every corner of Hawaii, trying to make the most of their vacation in this paradise.
However, tourists can miss out on something whenever they visit their dream destination – that is being responsible and respecting the locals. Even if you’re brimming with excitement and pure intention to unwind in this paradise, you can become one of the red-flag tourists who might upset the locals.
This was the concern of Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, a native Hawaiian and vice chair of the Maui County Council. Growing up in Hawaii, she has witnessed how tourism increased in her hometown. While tourism boosts their economy, she has also seen how unrestricted tourism affects her community.
In her statements in a published article, she shared why locals are tired of tourists who don’t know what they’re doing and treating their island like an amusement park. Keani said tourists can overrun the locals and underscored that tourists should be respectful and not feel entitled.
Here’s what you need to know before you visit Hawaii to become a smart traveler and ensure a seamless Aloha experience:
1. Tourism displaced locals by driving up costs: Would you also invest?
If you have the fortune, would you also be interested in buying a property in Hawaii as an investment? If yes, know that you can be considered one of the tourists who can contribute to the displacement of native Hawaiians from their homeland.
As shared by Keani: “The number of tourists in Hawaii is overwhelming the local population and threatening the islands’ cultural heritage.”
After being driven from their lands during colonization, native Hawaiians are facing a housing crisis and can’t afford to go back to their ancestral lands. When houses are also put up for sale, non-resident buyers grabbed them instead of being owned by native Hawaiians.
Since locals can’t afford their ancestral lands due to increasing prices, tourists bought them as investment properties. The natives are forced to leave their homeland and make an unfamiliar place, like Las Vegas, their home. Doing this threatens the continuity of their local traditions as they can’t practice them if they’re not in their homeland.
The rising demand for real estate has resulted in a drastic increase in the cost of living in Hawaii. For the residents of islands like Maui and Oahu where tourism is at its height, Keani said that they depend on jobs at resorts and hotels to support their needs..
As Keani shared: “During COVID, there was no tourism, and their jobs were the first to go. My island in Molokai fared better because the model is to cater to local businesses and local patrons instead.”
Native Hawaiians can’t afford to live in Hawaii. (AJ+)
2. Locals can’t commute easily: Are you guilty of getting pictures?
Hawaii’s economy depends heavily on tourism. However, the situation can go crazy when the number of tourists surpasses the local population. This is true for famous tourist destinations where overtourism is exhausting the environment and infrastructure.
Hawaii has also the most beautiful spot to watch sunrise and sunset views. But if you plan to visit this paradise, be careful to not be one of the tourists who overlook the locals while doing their daily activities like commuting on busy streets.
Keani cited the popular sunrise and sunset destinations like Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head on Oahu that attract large numbers of visitors. This causes traffic jams on highways when residents are trying to commute or drop off their children at school.
According to Keani, their state Department of Transportation wants to create more parking spots or widen highways. Instead of this, she said that people should consider group trolley systems like the ones in Zion National Park in Utah to manage tourists. This makes more sense to her than allowing tourists to rent their car for the duration of their visit.
Overtourism is affecting the locals in their daily activities. (Laura Diaz)
3. Locals feel like their home is a theme park: Do you break rules?
Strolling and wandering around the paradise might be fun especially when you see cultural houses. But be careful not to make the locals uncomfortable by invading their personal space such as their houses.
Keani said the residents believe there is no longer any privacy and that their houses are being handled like amusement parks. There are reports of visitors entering properties without permission in order to take pictures. Tourists must realize that this is real life and not something we see on TV or read on social media.
Tourist also tend to break rules when told not to tresspass a prohibited area or go in dangerous places. At locations like waterfalls and volcanoes, Keani said that the railings and safety precautions aren’t always present and there have been fatalities or serious injuries among tourists.
As shared by Keani: “It puts our emergency responders at risk if tourists are trespassing in dangerous places.”
Locals feel like their homes is a theme park. (WFAA)
4. Beaches and reefs are destroyed for the sake of tourism: Loved diving or snorkeling?
If you love beaches and water activities or involved in constructing infrastructures near a beach, perhaps you’re also contributing to the degradation of vibrant coral reefs and world-class sand of Hawaii.
Keani shared that excessive tourism is also seriously harming Hawaii’s delicate island ecosystems. As she stated, Hawaii’s natural sand dunes allow the white sand beaches to replenish themselves over time.
But this cycle is upset when resorts and hotel chains are built on the dunes, stopping the beaches from regaining lost sand. The beaches gradually disappear because the dunes are unable to produce new sand.
She witnessed the construction of temporary seawalls in front of condominiums and resorts, disrupting the normal sand migration cycle. They also see the state of devastation that pollution, chemicals in sunscreen, and irresponsible snorkelers have caused to their coral reefs, which are vital to marine life.
If you’re not also mindful of loitering your trash, you can also harm the environment. Due to the island location and lack of land for landfills, an excessive amount of trash ends up in the waters of the locals that harm their ecosystem.
Beaches and reefs are destroyed for the sake of tourism. (WFAA)
5. Tourism has perks but it can also destroy: Are you a responsible visitor?
With the popularity of Hawaii as a global destination, it has also became a victim of overtourism. Mass tourism is not that fun to hear at all, as nature itself can feel overwhelmed by the number of humans who disturbs them. This can impact negatively to the natural treasures of Hawaii and the local community will be the most affected.
According to Keani, the stable rise in tourism does have certain benefits, such as for travelers who volunteer with the Red Cross. But she calls on to put an end to extractive tourism. Because tourism fluctuates, Keani want their town to have alternative sources of income.
Keani’s message to visitors is clear: to travel responsibly, honor local culture, and leave as little of a trace as possible. She said to make sure you’re staying at a genuine Airbnb, support little companies rather than corporate eateries, take tours rather than driving yourself or renting a car, and arrive with appreciation and respect rather than entitlement.
