Love Thy Tourist?

[kalakoa]

Maybe the #1 provider of jobs wasn't so bad after all.

Funny, the residents of Kauai now complain about Monsanto.

I'll bet they wish they had tourism instead.

[Guest]

Great reply Vancouverislander, mahalo for the valid points and good advice you shared.

I remember my dad being upset when he would get stuck behind a large cane truck on the hamakua highway when driving from one side of the island to the other. Now only a couple decades later i catch myself getting upset when i have to pay more than an hours working wage($5.00 after taxes)for my kids teri-burgers, grilled cheese, gallon of milk, or box of corn flakes. I get upset when tour helicopters fly active volcano banners over the house as I am trying to give my kids a nap on most days. I get upset when our mayor supports, donates, or spends hard earned tax payer money on off island drinky-drinky establishments, rather than equal or quality educational opportunities for our island keiki (especially during emergency times). I get very upset when I see tourist standing,pissing, or sh----g on precious coral reefs, especially within the fish sanctuaries. Watching my many local friends or the Micronesians catch,prepare,and eat from those now fish sanctuaries always left me a better feeling than today's state made human sanctuaries. They seem to be designed for todays ignorant sunscreened ladened tourists to snorkel or use as natural swimming pools,jmo.

This old article about tourism and pollution was written some 40 years ago, but does offer an interesting tourism causing pollution opinion.

http://www.edwardgoldsmith.org/51/pollution-by-tourism/


Hard to believe Oahu's transformation (tourism facelift) in such a relatively short period of time too. Here is another article I found that makes some interesting points regarding the effects from tourism.

http://www.theprofessionalhobo.com/2014/...economies/

Thankfully Puna is not a third world country, or is it?

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

working wage($5.00 after taxes)
tour helicopters
tourist standing,pissing, or sh----g
Micronesians catch,prepare,and eat from those now fish sanctuaries

In another 40 years, this place will be nothing but a tropical ghetto, with ocean levels eating away what's left of the coast, and super-jumbo hurricanes growing to the size of a small country by the surrounding overheated waters, then blowing the island to smithereens. Twice a year.

Better get out now while the property values are high enough to move to Alaska, which will be the new Pacific Northwest climate wise.

To quote Dr. Smith on Lost in Space, "we're doomed. Doomed!"

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." -Annie Dillard

[kalakoa]

In another 40 years, this place will be nothing but a tropical ghetto

For once, Puna is ahead of schedule on something.

[PaulW]

"I get very upset when I see tourist standing,pissing, or sh----g on precious coral reefs, especially within the fish sanctuaries."
Where do you see that?

I see: you don't like tourism, you don't like science. Exactly what is Hawaii supposed to pay its bills with? Coconuts?

[Guest]

About those bills PaulW.
Tourists are now out numbering residents here in hawaii by an 8 to 1 margin, while also using up to 8 times more of the islands resources like water, electricity, gas, and food,jmo.

Shouldn't tourist start paying more of the taxes required to maintain the public roads, beaches, and parks, than the current residents?
Why are our vehicle registration prices doubling this year when its the tourists amount of vehicles on our roads that have doubled lately?
Why are vacation rentals and B&B not being taxed, while the few residents property taxes increase?
Why aren't the resorts, grocery stores, gas stations, police traffic tickets, restaurants and bars offering or showing the few residents great local or kama'aina prices yet?
Its Not like those type of offered discounts would hurt the states overall multi-billion dollar tourism industry, or that there is a better time than now to give back to the people of aloha who make the industry possible,jmo.

P.S. Its not that i dont like those things you mentioned paulw, only how they are done, managed, or who profits from them.

[leilanidude]

Tourists are now out numbering residents here in hawaii by an 8 to 1 margin, while also using up to 8 times more of the islands resources like water, electricity, gas, and food,jmo.
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Not on this island? 8 to 1? Prove that. You can't. i doubt it is even 1:1.

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Shouldn't tourist start paying more of the taxes required to maintain the public roads, beaches, and parks, than the current residents?
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They already pay more.

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Why are our vehicle registration prices doubling this year when its the tourists amount of vehicles on our roads that have doubled lately?
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Again, you have no clue. Rental cars pay the same registration as we do. Tourists also pay the same for fuel taxes. They are paying the price.

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Why are vacation rentals and B&B not being taxed, while the few residents property taxes increase?
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All non owner occupied properties already pay a much higher property tax rate than you do. They also have to pay GET on the gross rental amount. This also applies to rental properties for RESIDENTS, which hurts the poor, the most.

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Why aren't the resorts, grocery stores, gas stations, police traffic tickets, restaurants and bars offering or showing the few residents great local or kama'aina prices yet?
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Many already do - ask for them.

[PaulW]

You want kama'aina rates for police traffic tickets?? Big ticket item on your household budget?

This is exactly why so many places chase the tourist dollar, its a goldmine. The amount of tax they pay for hotels and vacation rentals is astonishing. Where do you get this idea that vacation rentals are illegal?

8 to 1? Yes, there were 8 million visitors last year in Hawaii but they didn't all come at the same time!
If you figure 1 week per tourist then that's 150,000 at any one time, which is about 10% of the population.
So actually locals outnumber tourists 10 to 1 (here probably 100 to 1), and I bet the tourists pay way more
than their fair share of tax. We should thank them personally.

[Guest]

Damn you guys are fast, my pahoa math skills have failed me once again( apologize here ),lol. Thanks for pointing out all the good things the thriving tourism industry brings and for the common sense reminder once in awhile.

[kalakoa]

I bet the tourists pay way more than their fair share of tax

If a tourist stays in an unlicensed B&B that's built on top of a homeowner exemption, which part is the "fair share" and who did the "cheating"?