How Can Puna grow, find ways to cater to tourism?

[punafish]

The problem with tourism is the jobs don't pay well. If you're going to take advantage of the opportunity, much better to go independent, whatever niche you're in. Cultural tourism/education is what I'd like to see more of, as long as it's authentic and done respectfully. We often connect visitors from Japan with local kumu hulas, ukulele teachers, Hawaiian language teachers, even with our local charter school. It helps, of course, that Japanese are genuinely interested in learning about Hawaiian culture. (A few years back HTA estimated over 400,000 Japanese are studying hula, a mind-blowing stat.)

As far as overdevelopment, based on past and recent lava activity, I'm pretty confident Pahoa will never turn into O'ahu.

Like HOTPE I'm originally from the Midwest (in my case, Chicago, but I have lots of cousins and friends up in Cheesehead Land). Chicago's brutal winters ultimately chased me away. It happened 13 years ago while shoveling a foot of snow off my driveway (at 6 in the morning so I could get to work on time), when something in my head snapped. And for the first time ever that crazy voice in my head said something that made sense: that I was too old to be doing this sh!t. And here I am, no regrets, even with the lava flowing...because at least I don't have to shovel it!