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+--- Thread: Is Puna Stuck In a Rut? Positive Solutions? (/showthread.php?tid=5715)
Is Puna Stuck In a Rut? Positive Solutions? - Guest - 06-04-2009
I'd like to hear some positive solutions on bringing tourist to the Puna district.
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Damon Tucker's Blog
FBI Blogs
RE: Is Puna Stuck In a Rut? Positive Solutions? - SandyS - 06-05-2009
I'd rather keep them in Kona where they belong. I silently cheer when the 'boat people' in Hilo get rained on. I figure they will never want to come back and also will tell friends about the lousy weather. The East side certainly does not need more traffic on it's roads. From what I read, Puna's present infrastructure can't take many more people. If Madam Pele, beautiful waterfalls, rainbows, sun rises, natural hot pods, beautiful gardens, and wonderful people filled with aloha aren't a big enough draw for tourists, I can't imagine much man could create that could compete. ( I am so glad I did not let a little liquid sunshine keep me from coming back years ago when I first visited the area.)
RE: Is Puna Stuck In a Rut? Positive Solutions? - Guest - 06-05-2009
Clean up pahoa town more.Bring better food shops lower prices.Oh I forgot to mention sell ambrotose on every corner.
RE: Is Puna Stuck In a Rut? Positive Solutions? - Guest - 06-05-2009
SandyS,
I agree with you about how wonderful the area is and would also like to keep it a secret. Unfortunately for the people in this area that depend upon the tourist to help support them financially we should also help. That being said, it is one of the reasons that I spend as much time and money in the Puna district. Simple things like if I am spending time in Hilo and get hungry I will wait until I get back to Pahoa to buy lunch. Any thing that I buy I first see if it can be purchased here first even if it cost a few pennies more.
The Puna area needs all of the tourist trade that we as a collective group can muster and any good ideas should be considered. At the moment I am falling short on ideas but will not stop trying to come up with something for Damon to pounder.
The Lack
RE: Is Puna Stuck In a Rut? Positive Solutions? - Samdooby - 06-05-2009
Hey Damon, howzit...
I am somewhat twisted on this one. I mean, with the good comes the bad...
The good: more jobs for locals to feed the tourist "boom"...
The bad: (besides traffic, etc) vendors at Makuu raise their prices 10 fold b/c tourist now flock their on Sunday...
I think though, we need better, more accessible, sand friendly beaches on this side. That is a big turn-off for tourists...
AND a NICER hotel. Hilo Hawaiian is stuck in the 50s. A KEY to open your room door?? Who still does that?? [xx(] The AC sounds like a small prop plane. Rooms are moldy and stinky...
I mean, you go to Kona and they have some nice areas for locals and tourists to play. The Shops, Waikoloa, etc...
The beauty of it, you have OPTIONS...And the freedom to stay at a nice hotel or not. Eat at a nice restaurant or not...
Options options options, thats what Im pushing for...
RE: Is Puna Stuck In a Rut? Positive Solutions? - Guest - 06-05-2009
Thank you Lack and Dooby for your replies -
I for one would like my son to be able to stay in Puna after he graduates from school whether it be college on the mainland or High School here in Hawaii.
I don't like the fact that my wife is facing furloughs at her government job because our government depends so much about tourism.
I'll be the first to say that I don't want more people "Moving into the area" as I feel that this is more of a squash and a drain then bringing tourist that can afford Hawaii.
I say one of the first solutions that we as online message board readers can do, is be honest about how we feel about things.
Often times we use message boards to only talk about the bad things that happen in the area... ie; venting frustrations about government etc.
But talking about and promoting things more in a positive light will go a long way in the future.
Bashing each others thoughts and ideas online and criticizing people because of who they are instead of the ideas that they bring to the table certainly won't do anything.
Andrew and others have done an excellent job promoting their Scuba Sundays. Others recently have talked about forming writing groups, these are all great ways of talking positively about things that we can do to try and create change.
The county is beginning to listen to online folks... the world has been doing it for awhile.
Making ass out of our community by doing things like protesting Burger King and KFC doesn't do a lot for our world wide image... Nor does it give the opportunity for a tourist on a lighter budget options to eat in town.
My first real job was at KFC. I was only 16 at the time and some of the lessons that I learned from that first job, I still carry with me today.
I have never once met a tourist that was rude on purpose. Yeah, I've met a lot of naive idiotic tourist that didn't know wtf was up with things... but I still have yet to meet one that was purposefully rude.
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Damon Tucker's Blog
FBI Blogs
RE: Is Puna Stuck In a Rut? Positive Solutions? - Rob Tucker - 06-05-2009
It's a good topic. Keep Puna natural, keep it clean, make it safe. The tourists who will want to come to Puna will not be coming for golf courses or for five course meals.
Mainstreet Pahoa Assoc. had a proposal a few years ago for a professionally run camp ground on the land above the community pool. Nice location, great views. This would be attractive to eco-type tourists who could spend money in town and appreciate the laid back Hawaii that we have to offer. These folks travel light and are not looking for $200 rooms.
Another good potential would be for the Land Preservation Fund to acquire Green Mountain/ Green Lake and make it a low key eco-park suitable for locals and tourists alike. Much better property than Steam Vents as far as preservation value.
We are not going to get the big spenders here except to dive by or fly over the lava flow. I'm not sure we want them.
Aside from all this Puna is not very touristy a place, it is attractive to alternative travelers much as it is attractive to alternative thinkers.
RE: Is Puna Stuck In a Rut? Positive Solutions? - csgray - 06-05-2009
I think Pahoa old town (as opposed to the new development on the edge of town which mostly cater to residents) has tons of potential as an quaint artsy destination for a certain type of free spending tourist, but there are several big hurdles which would need to be overcome:
Cost of doing business: Because of the absurd run up of prices for commercial property during the last real estate boom, rents are sky high for commercial space which discourages the kind of risk taking small businesses that would create the right atmosphere to draw tourists. You need a certain critical mass to get a positive mention in guidebooks and by word of mouth.
Pedestrian unfriendly: The sidewalks are a huge problem. The people who would stop in Pahoa and spend money are mostly Europeans and the first wave of retiring baby boomers, and walking around downtown Pahoa is a real pain. I am now on crutches and I won't be back downtown until my cast comes off because it would be taking my life into my hands to try to navigate the sidewalks.
Parking: People are unsure if the "Luquins Lot" is public or private and Americans like to park close to their destination. The bus people seem to mostly spend their money at familiar places like Wal-Mart, McDonalds, and Ross, not cute little locally owned cafes, boutiques and galleries, so Pahoa needs to be attractive to couples and singles in rental cars.
In my former life I used to make a good living off of tourists, they are one of those phenomena where if you are making money off of them you welcome them, and if you don't profit from them they are viewed as a scourge and a plague. When I lived in Florida in the 70s there were t-shirts sold to locals with a silhouette of tourists in cross hairs which said "Why do you think they call it Tourist Season." They sold a lot of them.
Carol
RE: Is Puna Stuck In a Rut? Positive Solutions? - Seeb - 06-05-2009
How about a 2fer. green,eco and sustainable are the buzz words of the day. so how about green sustainable industry like bio fuel production. would create some stable jobs in production, and then you could give tours of the places. it could draw tourist if you pitch it- as come see our solution and help save the environment
RE: Is Puna Stuck In a Rut? Positive Solutions? - Rob Tucker - 06-05-2009
Aloha Carol,
Last year Friends of Puna's Future ( http://www.fopf.org ) succeeded in getting sidewalks for Pahoa included in the list of capital improvements for Public Works. It was number 37 as I recall on that list. There is a budget for planning sidewalks but it will take concerted and ongoing attention to move it forward.