Tourists are overcrowding Hawaii. Here's how they're handling it.
On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast:
Hawaii is a small state that's a huge draw for tourists. Maybe it's the beaches, or the phenomenal hiking trails, or the beautiful, rich culture. Maybe it's the 'Aloha spirit' that welcomes you and makes you feel like family. Maybe, it's all of the above.
In 2021, 600,000 people visited Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden. That's the tip of the iceberg. But that influx comes with a price for the state's 1.4 million residents. Over tourism has become a buzz word recently, and many Hawaiian's are feeling the burnout. During the COVID-19 pandemic tourism all but stopped and Hawaiian's saw for the fist time what some places were like with no people, and nature had a chance to restore itself.
5 Things Sunday host James Brown sat down with USA TODAY's consumer and travel reporter Kathleen Wong, who is based in Hawaii.
She talks about responsible visitors and what that means to not only the island, but to Hawaiian's and how the state is managing the number of tourists.
For more on respectfully visiting Hawaii:
Take it from Hawaii locals: You won't regret these 8 activities when you visit the islands
Waipio Valley protestors block access to sacred Hawaiian land after partial reopening
Don't be that tourist: Here's how to respectfully visit Hawaii, have an authentic trip
Honolulu charges the most expensive tourist tax. Here's how that affects your vacation.
Hawaii sees riskier beachgoers: How to safely enjoy the ocean on the islands
Beach closures, damage: What travelers can expect after the 'historic' Hawaii swells
Listen up, tourists: Hawaii locals share what they wish visitors would stop doing
Woman treated for injuries after an encounter with nursing monk seal in Hawaii
Follow James Brown and Kathleen Wong on Twitter.
If you have a comment about the show or a question or topic you'd like us to discuss, send James Brown an email at jabrown@usatoday.com or podcasts@usatoday.com. You can also leave him a voicemail at 585-484-0339. We might have you on the show.
Podcasts: True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here.
Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.
James Brown: Hello and welcome to 5 Things. I'm James Brown. Go, Bills. Every week we take a question, an idea or concept and go deep. If there's something you'd like us to look into or just want to say hello, email me at JABrown@usatoday.com or podcasts@usatoday.com. You can find me anywhere on social media at James Brown TV. We also have a voicemail line. Call us at 585-484-0339. I love reading and listening to all of your messages. One of my goals is to see more of America. I've been to six or seven states, and that's far too few. My hope is to get to all 50 states eventually. That, of course, includes Hawaii, and I'm not alone. That state is in demand. Nearly 600,000 people visited in 2021 alone. That's a ton, especially for a state whose population is only 1.4 million people. With this kind of influx of visitors comes a price that the state is managing. With more on how they're going about it, comes USA Today's Kathleen Wong, who's based in Hawaii. Kathleen Wong, welcome to 5 Things.
Kathleen Wong: Hi, James. Nice to be here.
James Brown: I want to start with a place that may seem a bit off, but I always worry about it. Am I pronouncing Hawaii correctly?
Kathleen Wong: So you could actually say it, there's an okina, which is the thing that kind of looks like a backwards apostrophe between the two Is, so it's like Hawaii.
James Brown: Hawaii.
Kathleen Wong: Or actually you could do even more and the W and Hawaiian actually sounds like a V so it's like Hawaii would be the...
James Brown: Hawaii. Hawaii, am I getting it right?
Kathleen Wong: You're close. Yeah.
James Brown: I'm trying here. No promises, but I know that if someone was pronouncing where I live incorrectly, I would feel a bit strange about it. I'm imagining that happens a lot.
Kathleen Wong: Yeah, I mean you definitely can hear some people say Hawaii, closer to Hawaii or Hawaii or stray pretty far, but I appreciate your curiosity in wanting to pronounce it correctly. I feel like a lot of people don't even realize that it's pronounced differently from Hawaii.
James Brown: Well, are you native to the island?
Kathleen Wong: No, I'm not. So I wouldn't even call myself Hawaiian or Native Hawaiian or anything like that. So I'm Asian and I moved here as a kid, so I would more call myself a local. It's definitely a nuance I think that you get when you spend a lot of time here and understand that. Yeah.
James Brown: Tell me more.
Kathleen Wong: Yeah, I mean there are the Native Hawaiians who came here many, many years ago and their culture is super significant here. And just with the history of Hawaii, I think the colonization and the overthrow of the monarchy, I think a lot of people who end up living here or grow up here definitely want to make that distinction between I'm of Hawaiian blood, or I grew up here and have a deep connection with the place, but I wouldn't want to call myself Hawaiian. So it's definitely a lot of nuances.
James Brown: Why did you decide to stay?
Kathleen Wong: I mean, it's just such a beautiful place, obviously, as everyone knows when they think of Hawaii. But I mean the culture that's here from the Native Hawaiians and also all the different Asian cultures who immigrated here for working on the plantations, the sugar and rice plantations, they've just created a really special culture where everyone's family. There's like this term hanai, which is like when you adopt your neighbor's child and you treat them your own. And there's just a lot of welcoming and aloha spirit and care that I really didn't find anywhere else and it was hard to not want to return to. It's just a really beautiful place both in nature and in spirit and with its people.
James Brown: Aloha spirit.
Kathleen Wong: Yeah.
James Brown: What do you mean by that?
Kathleen Wong: Yeah, I think it's a welcoming, a love, a expect... Or doing things out of kindness, but not expecting things in return. It's just a kind of kindness and generosity that is really fostered here.
James Brown: Interesting. Is that something that is taught? Is it something that you just sort of catch in the ether of just living and growing up in, on the islands?
Kathleen Wong: That's a good question. It's definitely a value I think that comes from Hawaiian culture. I think it is something that when you come here and you experience, you want to share with others yourself and keep it moving forward.
James Brown: I read your piece and it really struck me in a number of different ways, and I think I'd like to start with defining a term, as you see it in your region. What does overtourism mean to you? Mean to other people who are Hawaii residents?
Kathleen Wong: That is definitely kind of a buzzing word, I would say when we think about tourism, which is such a big part of Hawaii's economy, just how Hawaii's seen in the world. Overtourism for me, and maybe a lot of people would be an influx of visitors who are maybe not educated on how to be a responsible visitor. Who maybe don't understand that resources here are finite. I'm not fully blaming a visitor who wants to come. I totally understand why you would want to come. I would want to come too. And definitely responsible visitors are welcome in my opinion, so that they can go home and educate others. But I would say when there aren't enough policies in place or these reservation systems that I explore to kind of manage the amount of people, and also there's local people here who want to use those places too. Go to the gardens, go to different beaches and feel like it's just so crowded or so difficult to be able to visit. And it sucks when that's your home.
James Brown: The only way that I can quite understand it is where I live, there are certain neighborhoods that have big festivals. And for that amount of time, your neighborhood is invaded by these people who are coming from elsewhere. And it's louder. It's at times abrasive. And some people choose to go on vacation when they live in those areas.
Kathleen Wong: Oh, really.
James Brown: But when I think of Hawaii, am I pronouncing it? Did I get it right?
Kathleen Wong: Yeah.
James Brown: I did?
Kathleen Wong: Yeah. And I appreciate the Hawaii residents too. That was good. I like that.
James Brown: But when I think about it, I'm not quite sure if there is a defined season when it happens or are the waves of people coming through at all times of the year?
Kathleen Wong: Yeah, I mean there's definitely a peak in summer and holiday travel, but honestly, you can find hers pretty much all year round. And during, I think the pandemic, when tourism pretty much came to a stop because it was just so hard for people to come in. They had to show negative Covid tests within a certain amount of time. And so it really reduced the amount of people who came and so many places were empty. And that was kind of the moment that people actually got to see what it was like to have nearly no visitors. But otherwise, people are coming all the time.
James Brown: How does life change for residents when tourists come in?
Kathleen Wong: Yeah, I think it just makes it, I mean, as an island, there is just a lot more congestion on the roads. Beaches are more crowded, hikes are more crowded, so maybe it's harder to find parking. The trail has a lot of people on it, which is less enjoyable for everyone. Restaurants are more packed. It's just like the resources stay the same, but the amount of people increase. And yeah, it's a struggle for I think locals and both visitors.
James Brown: What do they, I mean, it's 1.4 million people can't speak for everybody, but what's the common sentiment?
Kathleen Wong: I think it ranges. There are definitely some people who are really against tourism, and I understand why. There are some people who feel it's important to the economy and needs to stay. It's a definitely a gray area. So I really can't speak for everyone, but I do feel as if most people could agree that things need to change in the industry.
James Brown: And I take it you may agree with that.
Kathleen Wong: I do. I definitely do. Just from growing up here as a kid to returning as an adult after college, things have definitely changed. There's way more cars on the road. Places are way more crowded. There's climate change impacting, certain beaches are eroding. So it's almost as if there's less resources in the future, plus the same amount of visitors. So things definitely need to change. I do think so.
James Brown: Well, I think it's a tough problem because on one hand your region is dependent on this influx of people, probably money coming with them, but you don't want to be overrun by these folks at the same time. How is that manageable?
Kathleen Wong: Yeah, I think that's the question that's on everyone's mind. And it's tough coming up with the right solutions. Which is why I think these reservation systems come into play and more places are beginning to implement them as a way to see if that's how they can manage tourism. And also in the piece you may have seen, I mentioned these destination management plans for each county, which is almost each island, but Maui has Malachi and Lanai, and they just talk about the issues related to each island and how they hope to tackle them. And it's in progress and it will take time, like years, I think, before things can change. But things such as the reservation systems could make a big difference.
James Brown: Well, let's take it one by one. Let's start with reservation systems. So where was this idea birthed and where was it enacted?
Kathleen Wong: When I was reporting, it seemed as if the first place where it happened was at Haena State Park on Kauai. They had done renovations and when they reopened in 2019, they decided to implement a reservation system. And then when the pandemic happened, it just kind of, I think gave people the space to think about how to manage tourism once that does return. And I mentioned Hanauma Bay on Oahu, a super popular snorkeling spot. It just got so many people visiting that it was never in great condition. And then in April, 2021 to kind of manage social distancing that came along with Covid, they put in a reservation system and they saw a lot of success in managing the amount of people who go there. Before they even let people back in, they noticed how clear the water was, how there were more fish, more coral growing, and just how when no one's there or less people, significantly less people. Nature had time to kind of restore itself, which is positive. That's an exciting thing. I think.
James Brown: There's got to be some folks that I would think would break those rules. Or are these areas like guarded? How do they know that you have a reservation for these areas?
Kathleen Wong: So a lot of these are done online and you sign up and you pay, and there are guards at the entrance to check and also manage the parking lot situation. So there are park staff that are there to help manage that.
James Brown: So you can't slip in.
Kathleen Wong: No. I think it would be tough to do so. And before they actually didn't even require you to pay online, I believe. And a lot of people would reserve and not show up. So they started making people pre-pay to hold them to actually show up. So things are always being tweaked to make sure they're effective.
James Brown: And how do these systems and destination management systems, as you mentioned earlier, what's the difference between those two?
Kathleen Wong: Destination management plans are kind of the broader vision for each county. And then these reservation systems are a part of these bigger plans. The Hawaiian Tourism Authority, and a lot of other people are really pushing for change.
James Brown: I also wanted to touch on another piece because I do think it doves tails with this idea. You describe what a respectful visit to Hawaii is. What do you mean by that? And for a neophyte like myself, what advice would you give?
Kathleen Wong: I appreciate you asking that question. I've said a few times in this conversation, responsible visitor lines with respectful visitor as well. And I was excited to write that piece because I think what the Hawaii Tourism Authority and a lot of other people are hoping to target when they, with their visitors who come here are people who want to educate themselves past whatever you see on mainstream media and to learn about the real issues and meet real people here and really create a connection to the islands here. And that could be through something like volunteering with a non-profit or supporting local businesses or ethical tour companies. And there are a lot of different ways to do it, but I think it mostly comes with a curiosity and really wanting to educate yourself on what the real Hawaii is like and wanting to bring that back home too.
James Brown: Any famous last words?
Kathleen Wong: I don't think so. I appreciate you wanting to know more about what makes a local versus a native Hawaiian and how to pronounce Hawaii. And I think that's the curiosity where really a lot of people should start with.
James Brown: If you like to show, write us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you're listening in, do me a favor, share with a friend. What do you think of the show and what do you think of the concept of respectful tourism? Email me at JABrown@usatoday.com or leave me a message at 585-484-0339. We might have you on the show. Thanks to Kathleen Wong for joining me. And to Alexis Gustin and Shannon Ray Green for their production assistance. Taylor Wilson will be back tomorrow morning. And for all of us at USA Today, thanks for listening. I'm James Brown, and as always, be well.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tourists are overcrowding Hawaii. Here's how they're handling it.
