It’s easy to make fun of tourists, but it's a lot harder to criticize the tourism industry. Tourists drive at a crawl over the Pali, rubbernecking at whales, while 10 cars tail them. Tourists crowd beaches and trails, then tell you to get out of “their” sunset. Tourists poke you with their selfie sticks as they strike poses for Instagram while crusted in reef-toxic … [Read more...] about ‘An Overworked Brothel’ – Maui County Council discusses visitor impacts to our environment and infrastructure
tourism
Summer for a Cause: Experience Maui while giving back with voluntourism
I am sitting in my car at the defunct Pu‘ukoli‘i Train Station in Ka‘anapali at 8:45 in the morning. This is the designated meet up spot for the Malama Honokowai Project, a Saturday volunteer activity that takes you deep into Honokowai Valley. I have no idea what I am getting myself into but I am jazzed about seeing an area of the island I have never experienced, and excited to … [Read more...] about Summer for a Cause: Experience Maui while giving back with voluntourism
Maui County Council Debates the Future of the Island’s ‘Golden Goose,’ Tourism
It’s said that the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. So it goes for Maui’s Island Plan, a long-range planning document adopted in 2012 to guide the county’s decisions until 2030. It contains this bit of policy direction: “Promote a desirable island population by striving to not exceed an island-wide visitor population of roughly 33 percent of the resident … [Read more...] about Maui County Council Debates the Future of the Island’s ‘Golden Goose,’ Tourism
Councilmembers’ Day Off: Majority of voting members absent for Infrastructure and Environmental Management Committee meeting
The Infrastructure and Environmental Management Committee meeting on Monday, Sept. 17, began with a lecture. “I’ve had numerous meetings that we could not deliberate and do the work of this community due to lack of quorum,” Committee Chair Elle Cochran announced after taking roll and marking Councilmembers Don Guzman, Riki Hokama, and Mike White with unexcused absences. “We … [Read more...] about Councilmembers’ Day Off: Majority of voting members absent for Infrastructure and Environmental Management Committee meeting
New report details vacation rental costs on Hawai`i economy
Seriously, that has to be the least controversial headline in Hawai‘i today. I mean, among residents–for tourists, this is all just Disneyland with a few palm trees and sickly sweet rum drinks, right? For those of you who for whatever reason aren’t yet convinced that transient vacation rentals represent an alarming danger to Hawai‘i’s whole way of life for people who … [Read more...] about New report details vacation rental costs on Hawai`i economy