Some Hawaii locals want tourists to stay away for good. Do they have a point?

“The 360” shows you diverse perspectives on the day’s top stories and debates.

What’s happening

In the aftermath of the devastating wildfire that killed more than 110 people on Maui last week, Hawaii officials are urging visitors to avoid coming to the island in order to give locals an opportunity to recover. The few tourists who haven’t heeded that guidance have been the target of intense criticism from locals.

This situation is an extreme example of a much broader tension that has existed for decades between Hawaii residents and the millions of visitors who are drawn to the state’s lush tropical forests and stunning beaches each year.

The tourism industry makes up about a quarter of Hawaii’s economy and supports roughly a third of the total jobs in the state. More than 10 million people visited Hawaii in 2019, dramatically outnumbering the state’s 1.4 million residents.

The push and pull of tourism has been especially stark over the past few years, because of the coronavirus pandemic. Though income from visitors fell dramatically when the state imposed strict travel restrictions to control the spread of the virus in 2020, residents were provided what one local called “one deep breath of air,” without a flood of tourists clogging the roads, beaches and hiking trails. But tourism bounced back rapidly once the state opened back up. By last year, visitor numbers were back near pre-pandemic levels, and travelers were spending even more money than they were before.

Why there’s debate

Hawaii residents' views of tourism hit a record low in the midst of the industry’s post-pandemic rebound, with half the residents surveyed saying they don’t believe the benefits outweigh the problems it creates. Some locals, many of them of Native Hawaiian descent, have gone so far as to argue that travelers should cross Hawaii off of their future itineraries for good.

Tourism is seen as one of several factors that allowed the Maui fire to become so deadly. But travelers have been more directly blamed for some of the state’s many enduring problems, including a severe housing crisis, water shortages, environmental degradation and the dilution of Native Hawaiian culture. There’s a cynical view that the state effectively belongs to tourists, rather than the people who actually call it home.

The industry’s defenders argue that tourism, for all of the issues it creates, is still a major asset for the people who call Hawaii home. They say the state simply couldn’t survive without the billions of dollars in spending and tax revenue that travelers bring into the islands every year.

The state’s leaders have also worked to reimagine tourism over the past few years around the concept of mālama (Hawaiian for “giving back”) by emphasizing more sustainable types of travel, appreciation for Native culture and respect for local residents.

What’s next

The task of rebuilding areas of Maui destroyed by the fire is expected to cost upward of $5 billion. Hawaii’s Gov. Josh Green has said the state won’t allow the disaster to result in a “land grab” by outside developers, but some locals are concerned that they could be priced out by the time the recovery effort is complete.

Perspectives

No amount of money is worth the degradation the state has suffered

“Certain Americans seem to live in an impenetrable bubble where they don’t even seem to register the suffering of people who don’t look or live like them. … Could [Hawaii] use the extra tourism money? Yes. But apparently, some tourists clearly don’t know how to conduct themselves in someone else’s house.” — Ian Kumamoto, HuffPost

Tourism is even more vital as the state recovers from disaster

“Unlike other forms of economic development, travel and tourism have shown resilience through many different types of crises. … Tourism is an experience that is unique to the human condition. It sustains our hopes and dreams, and offers relaxation and tranquility, or excitement and adventure, through good times and bad.” — Rich Harrill, Conversation

Hawaii will always welcome the right kinds of visitors

“Hey, we would love you to come, but remember this is our home. You have to take care of this place.” — Mondy Jamshidi-Kent, a professor of travel management at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, to Bloomberg

Tourism has helped create a severe cost of living crisis for locals

“With every resort and vacation home that pops up on the islands, more and more native Pacific Islanders are being pushed into homeless camps that litter the island.” — Jasmine Osby, Travel Noire

Tourism allowed Hawaii to develop a modern economy that raised standards of living throughout the state

“The tourism economy provided more than the plantations could. It lifted many people into the middle class, addressed some key social inequities, and brought about a modernization of Hawaii that has improved the quality of life for many people.” — Amy Asselbaye, Sunshine Topping, Erika Lacro, Honolulu Civil Beat

Money spent in Hawaii doesn’t always benefit Hawaii

“There’s an illusion that Hawaiʻi relies on tourism to survive. The complicated reality is that most of the corporations operating here are internationally owned, and the money they earn never seems to trickle down.” — Keoni DeFranco, Washington Post

The state’s new approach can maximize the benefits of tourism while reducing its harms

“Visitors want authentic, they want real, but they don’t even know what that looks like. This shift allows people and our culture to be the center of the industry. Hawaii is one of the biggest tourism markets in the country and could potentially be a model for what a Native-run model of tourism looks like, one that gives more than it takes.” — Kūhiō Lewis, president and chief executive of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, to New York Times

Photo Illustration by Ann Kim for Yahoo News; photos: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images, Getty Images (3)