06-06-2024, 07:12 PM
Hawaii's bureaucracy and anti-business laws have made any alternatives to tourism difficult, and now they are making tourism difficult.
Case in point- these are figures off the internet so may not be 100% accurate and currency conversion plays a role so just consider them ballpark. I choose Japan as the reference because we get a lot of Japanese tourists.
Minimum wage in Hawaii: $14/hour. Increases $2/hour every other year.
Minimum wage in Japan: $6.09 - $7.66 depending on Prefecture, average $7.17.
Average wage of a hotel housekeeper in Japan: $8.24/hour. Average of a Hawaii housekeeper $16-$21.83. And now it's considered appropriate to add a gratuity.
Annual average income of a Japanese worker: $41,509. Hawaii: $61,410.
Hawaii hotel taxes (Oahu) 17.9%. Japan 9%. Hawaii resort fees per night $30-$50. Japan- resort fees are not common.
Restaurants- moderately priced: Hawaii $30-50. Japan $15-30.
Maybe our tourism is suffering because we're pricing everybody out?
Case in point- these are figures off the internet so may not be 100% accurate and currency conversion plays a role so just consider them ballpark. I choose Japan as the reference because we get a lot of Japanese tourists.
Minimum wage in Hawaii: $14/hour. Increases $2/hour every other year.
Minimum wage in Japan: $6.09 - $7.66 depending on Prefecture, average $7.17.
Average wage of a hotel housekeeper in Japan: $8.24/hour. Average of a Hawaii housekeeper $16-$21.83. And now it's considered appropriate to add a gratuity.
Annual average income of a Japanese worker: $41,509. Hawaii: $61,410.
Hawaii hotel taxes (Oahu) 17.9%. Japan 9%. Hawaii resort fees per night $30-$50. Japan- resort fees are not common.
Restaurants- moderately priced: Hawaii $30-50. Japan $15-30.
Maybe our tourism is suffering because we're pricing everybody out?