Hawaii: the verdict is in, residents say tourists NOT welcome

Recent OmniTrack Survey Results Say It All

In a recent survey of Hawaii residents by OmniTrack, nearly 70% -- nearly 70% -- of our residents made it clear that the “island is being run for tourists at the expense of local people.”  To be more concise, the island, and our politicians and leaders, have been commandeered by wealthy mega-interests who could care less about the impact of their economic activity on our islands. They've literally turned Hawaii into one big amusement park, at the expense of the local population who calls this home.  And the people who live here just screamed out that they don't like it.  We've all gotten a brief taste of what our island home is really like without being trampled and disrespected by the hordes of visitors who come here every day, poop, and leave, and it's been a breath of fresh air.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority Is Probably Not Your Friend

And, as it turns out, the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) may not be a friend to anyone except the mega-money tourist operations that they encourage. While their agenda sounds encouraging ("The Hawaii Tourism Authority is the state agency charged with managing tourism for the benefit of the Hawaiian Islands") it seems as though their missions are at odds:   there's nothing in their agenda that takes a serious stab at actually managing tourist numbers or what the majority of tourists actually experience here. Three guesses as to who might be controlling HTA behind the scenes? Their so-called four pillars of strategic tourism plan: natural resources, Hawaiian culture, community and brand marketing, seems nothing more than smoke and mirrors against the backdrop of the now out-of-control stifling numbers of tourists that come here, most of whom are not the least bit interested in Hawaii's culture, traditions, or quality of life.

Our part-time lieutenant governor, Josh Green, still doesn't get it.  He's still trying to impress us with how great it is that tourist visits are beginning to "approach pre-pandemic numbers," as if this was what the community was really wishing for with all their heart and soul.  (Could we really re-elect Josh Green to anything?)

Post-Pandemic Leadership Should Look Nothing Like It Does Now

For our safety and well being, Hawaii's post pandemic leadership should look nothing like what we've got now. It's time to purge our business-as-usual leaders -- all of them -- and replace them with people who will not put wealthy interests before those of the community at large.

A Message to Wealthy Part-Timers and Mega Corporations that Would Rape Our Community for Their Profit and Pleasure

Stop the over-tourism.

Stop the over-development (as in, let's have a moratorium right NOW) . . .  Rick Blangiardi, are you getting this, you and Dean Uchida?

Stop the pandering to the wealthy and the mega-corporations that have raped Hawaii for years for their own private profit and pleasure!

Okay, this is starting to sound like a rant.  But let's be honest, we've all thought about it . . . our community is being overrun with activity that we'd never really signed up for, activity that's destroying the quality of the lives of our families, keikis and future generations . . . while, at the same time, destroying our aina and everything that we've ever cherished here in Hawaii.

Message to the wealthy part-timers who've come here and bought up our land: no, IT'S NOT OKAY to control public beaches and block public right-of-ways that have been well established pathways to our ocean and beaches for decades; it's not okay to sandbag or otherwise alter our beachfront ecology, or our very public harbor system (that includes you Mr. Prez, Mr. Zuckerberg, Mr. Dell, Larry Ellison and the rest of your ilk who appear to have little regard for the community that surrounds your estates).  

Special message to Larry Ellison: no . . .  the people on Lanai do NOT want to cede their public harbor to you and your fake front organization, Pulama.  They really don't. (We know you're trying to buy them off with trinkets, but at the end of the day, THEY DON'T WANT TO CEDE THEIR PUBLIC HARBOR)

Hawaii is about all of us, not just the mega wealthy who squat, poop, and steal.  Do not reelect Hawaii's pre-pandemic leaders, so easily controlled by the whim of the wealthy panderers.  They've poisoned the well (and they're poised to do it again, post pandemic); many are firmly established in the pockets of the wealthy, and have demonstrated time and again that they really don't care what you think.  A government of, by, and for the people of Hawaii?  Seriously?

And just a heads up

Watch out for the fake post-pandemic responses from our pre-pandemic leaders . . . more smoke-and-mirrors than substance.  They are going to try to use the post-pandemic economic shortfall to justify all kinds of projects that will further erode our quality of life here in Hawaii, things like, privatization of public lands and assets, mechanisms to give even more free reign to the folks responsible for over-tourism, and rationale to allow even more over-the-top development of our already overdeveloped landscape.  It's up to each of you to push back.  If you don't, start planning to move, because you won't like what comes next.