It’s already a premium product, the proposal simply does what you allude to: charging for the soft costs tourists don’t pay their fair share of (like locals do already). Not everyone can afford a stay in NYC, or a trip to Europe. Hawaii and its natural beauty is finite if it isn’t cared for so making that care compulsory seems fair.
@tjernst6488
Жыл бұрын
Charge everyone a fee that wasn’t “living” on the islands in 1959.
@jessearmaline7485
Жыл бұрын
This is a great video and I agree. We all have a huge impact on Hawai’i’s environment and it’s animals. I do agree tourists should be charged but there are so many factors. Like you said, Hanauma Bay is a great example !
@jessearmaline7485
Жыл бұрын
Charge a higher fee for the damaging activities and corporations for example.
@jbones2426
Жыл бұрын
There should be a premium fee for a premium tourism product such as Hawaii. Unbeknownst to locals, people travel the world and still settle in Hawaii as their favorite destination above all others. Other tropical destinations come with varying degrees of extreme crime which may even force visitors to stay on resort. Being an American state is also advantageous. Regarding locals paying, the taxes are already the highest in the country. If locals were to pay, it should only come out of high earners who would not miss $50 or $100. I don't know where that starts in Hawaii but maybe the local fee starts phasing in at $100k salary, etc. Essentially, we don't want to charge locals who are working two jobs at $65k making ends meet, providing for their keiki.
@tinkerneer
Жыл бұрын
You are assuming that the government will *actually* spend the amount they collect into things you care about.
@noelrdhawaii
Жыл бұрын
I know it's literally all assumptions because they literally funnel money all over but don't do anything for the people. During the pandemic they never expanded the hospitals or built anything to help.
@abelzoni2138
Жыл бұрын
Maybe a lightrail to the Eastside. Lol
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
Exactly right!
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
That would be the assumption.
@ngoma
Жыл бұрын
After reading the opinions of many islanders in Hawaiian newspapers during the pandemic I realized I am not wanted so I’m going back to Costa Rica for our family’s vacations.
@drjojo5551
5 ай бұрын
Bub……100% in agreement with you!!!
@richl6725
Жыл бұрын
Have you looked at the hotel/condo occupancy tax lately? Tourists are already taxed. Would that tax be per person, per family? And if relatives visited locals, would they be taxed equally as well? And do you really trust people to spend the revenues wisely?
@rayage777
Жыл бұрын
Not only the occupancy, but the rental car increased by 50% with all the fees added in.
@RodSwansmad
Жыл бұрын
Not to mention , we are now paying to walk up DiamondHead and if luck get a reservation for Hanauma Bay
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
I know the TAT is already pretty high. But that tax is allocated to a variety of things and applicable to all visitors who stay in those accommodations regardless of whether they impact the trails and parks. I think this fee would be targeted toward just those who intend on enjoying the outdoor activities.
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
You mean like every visitor?
@tracyalan7201
Жыл бұрын
Interesting topic for discussion. The idea sounds like a solution, but the devil is in the details for the politicians and administrators, which could make the solution worse than the problem. Being that the tourism industry is the main source of income for the state, the repercussions could be more than expected. What constitutes a 'tourist'? Former islanders periodically returning? Military families on active duty versus rest & recreation (Hale Koa)? How would the fee be applied? At the commercial airport? What about private aircraft? What about cruise lines? It starts to open a myriad of discussion points that law makers, administrators, politicians (State & County) and locals start to perk up and ask how does that affect me? Do I pay? Do I benefit? Good question for the discussion.
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
Solution to what?
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Great questions, particularly about former residents. Not sure how they would prove that. Ask what high school you wen' grad?
@tracyalan7201
Жыл бұрын
@@HelloFromHawaiiHawaii: Kailua. Having a "fee", is like having a potluck with some people. Isn't there always someone who always picks the easiest thing to bring, make, buy? Some people bring nothing and rely on the goodness of others to kick in more, which sometimes, those people don't. Sometimes, no one wants to kick in, then, others complain about it. With a potluck, it's people that you know. With the fee, suddenly, when it's mandatory, it's excessive. When it's optional, the minimal kick in. When everyone kicks in the community, everyone benefits. Unfortunately, State resources aren't a community resource equally benefited or contributed.
@LoveVanillaRose
Жыл бұрын
AS IF any of that money would go to helping local people or the environment here in Hawaii. NO, it's just another excuse to further line the pockets of politicians and large corporations.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
That's why we'd have to see how the funds are spent.
@shakeelahmed8222
Жыл бұрын
I think we need to know beforehand where it would go to before it’s too late lol.
@RR-tn8fw
Жыл бұрын
A 2022 study by Travel & Leisure state Honolulu already charges the highest tourist tax in the world. Followed by San Francisco & Los Angeles. It’s a combination of high tax % and high average room cost. The 18% state & local tax on the average room charge generates $439 in just hotel taxes for an average 7 night stay. More taxes are obviously paid via car rentals, food and entertainment. By contrast, you mention Japan. In Tokyo, the hotel tax is only 10%. In my opinion, Hawaii as a state already extracts a very large amount of tax money from tourists. Each island now adds their own hotel tax on top of the state tax. I think a visitor tax, on top of all the other taxes tourists pay to Hawaii is just starting to feel like a total shake-down. I can afford the fee. But I would start frequenting other places on principle (like Japan) that don’t treat me as just an ATM machine for the state.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Mahalo for citing the other cities. If an additional fee/tax is too much, then maybe Hawaii would see more manageable visitor numbers, as we are on track to break the 10 million visitor number by next year.
@RR-tn8fw
Жыл бұрын
If that is the purpose for the fee, then let’s state that as the purpose. The bill stated the purpose as maintaining trails and fighting climate change. But if the real purpose is to reduce the number of tourists, then it should be open and honest within the drafting of the bill that that is the intent of the fee. But somehow, I really doubt that is the purpose. I’ve long believed Hawaii receives more tourists than it should for the size of the islands. But I also know that Hawaii already generates a huge amount of revenue from tourists not only in direct taxes, but also in indirect taxes via businesses and employees that support the tourists. If the purpose is to limit tourists, then stop advertising and promoting Hawaii tourism and limit the number of inbound flights to the airport rather than expand the airport. The visitor impact fee is just for the purpose of extracting more money and half of the money or more will go to salaries and administrative expenses to manage the program. Past history points to future results.
@frikitiki
Жыл бұрын
They were collecting the fee at Hanauma Bay and yet if you went to the visitor center, items were broken and worn including the projector to see the mandatory film that you had to watch. It had a HUGE yellow spot like there was something wrong with the bulb. Yeah..they don't use the money for the items which they say it's supposed to be used.
@AS-rx3yk
Жыл бұрын
I love the people of Hawaii, but I despise their politics. Just look at their Honolulu light rail. It's practically criminal.
@frikitiki
Жыл бұрын
@@AS-rx3yk It's not light rail. Light rail is a grade. They are building a 22 mile bridge across the island therefore heavy rail.
@reneecollin8825
Жыл бұрын
I would pay the fee (visiting from Maryland), in order to help the homeless, or help towards providing affordable housing for the citizens of Hawaii - but a "fee" to just sit on a beach, or climb a mountain ?? Hell no ! Hawaii is not an amusement park - it's a State (of the United States), so no way ! That's like the State of Maryland charging a "fee" to eat crabs, or cruise up & down the Chesapeake Bay ??! This thought is ludacrious!
@logikell
Жыл бұрын
Interesting content. So may thoughts about this. * $100 per person fee for a large family would be a pretty large expense. * Saying Hawaii is a premium experience and if you cannot afford the fee, then don't come is pretty bad. So you can only come if you are wealthy enough? * If there was a fee, I feel it should be per day, not per trip. If you are there for 3 days or 2 weeks, the fee should not be the same. * How to collect it? Have it collected by the hotels or the booking website/agent. * Instead, maybe should have a usage fee, so only the people that use something have to pay. Park/trail/beach entry, canoe/surfboard/boat rental fees/car rental fee, excursion fee, dining fee, etc * I agree that locals would have a reduced fee as you mentioned. Pretty common practice. * I would be more in favor of usage fees. * Tough thing to discuss with everything so expensive right now. 😕
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Appreciate the comment. As we look at our visitor numbers rising, but visitor spending flatlining, I think it's important to discuss how many visitors can Hawaii handle and if we are getting the most per person. If the State is truly targeting a certain type of visitor, as other businesses target a certain type of consumer, I think it would be fair to ask for a premium, albeit small, fee, particularly if it goes toward a better visitor experience.
@redskytitan
Жыл бұрын
The type of high spending visitor you are talking about may not be as open to paying extra fees left and right. That customer typically has lots of other options. My family of 5, for one, would not bother to visit Hawaii if we had to pay an extra $500, precisely because we’ve already spent thousands on airfare, Airbnb, rental car, etc. At that point we’d rather go to Tahiti, Fiji, Bali or the Maldives. There are many beautiful and exotic islands out there other than Hawaii.
@LeonSKennedy7777
Жыл бұрын
Bad idea. Hawaii is American soil and it’s every American’s given right to step foot on it for free.
@briangarnier5714
Жыл бұрын
I guess all national parks should be free
@LeonSKennedy7777
Жыл бұрын
@@briangarnier5714 exactly! But I accept that there are certain costs associated with their maintenance, so a small ticket price for national parks in all states (including those in Hawaii) are probably acceptable.
@briangarnier5714
Жыл бұрын
I think a 100 dollars to access all of hawaii's beaches and trails would be a good idea. But it would really need to be hammered out. Hawaii does charge for some of the things already like going to Hawaii's grand canyon on Kauai. 25 dollars per person plus a parking fee l think of the same amount. So four people and a car is 125 bucks. My state has park fees all over the place and because of the internet the areas only l9cals knew about are now infested with heavy traffic and not enjoyable at all anymore.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
I think this is where the legal issues come up. With free travel, would this program be unconstitutional? That would be for the courts to decide.
@AS-rx3yk
Жыл бұрын
@@briangarnier5714 Hawaii is a state.
@mamafromhawaii
Жыл бұрын
Interesting topic. My initial thought is tourists already pay a lot to come here and it’d be a lot to manage administratively. And for some reason I doubt we’d see much improvement lol, maybe cause I’m so used to things being slow and more run down over here. But in theory I agree, just hard to see it as a practical solution, thanks for sharing!
@theconchonetwork498
Жыл бұрын
With all the corruption in Hawaii one has to wonder Whose pocket this money would end up in
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
I'd hope it would go toward what the main intention is.
@noelrdhawaii
Жыл бұрын
@@HelloFromHawaii You know that ain’t going to happen money never gets properly allocated to anything. To believe otherwise is just that “believing”….
@OzoneMcWego
Жыл бұрын
Charging extra fees is just flat out greed
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Not if it goes toward maintaining certain natural resources that are frequented by visitors and locals alike.
@OzoneMcWego
Жыл бұрын
@@HelloFromHawaii Maybe greed was the wrong choice of words. I do agree that i could be good with that concept in mind its just the government in Hawai'i doesn't have a great track record in how it spends it money. I'm gonna say that you're assuming the money they do collect will in fact go to the appropriate places for maintenance. I reckon they won't. I say make every location i.e park, hike, etc have a place where you have to pay, visitor or local, a small fee. This would (ideally) go directly to maintaining the location. The most visited spots would make the most money and in turn get the most maintenance.
@petedien
7 ай бұрын
@@OzoneMcWegoFYI state of Hawaii is the most corrupted state in the US!!!
@Travelinmy50s
Жыл бұрын
I'm sure everyone from Hawaii would then be super happy to pay 50 to 100 bucks to go to the mainland like when they visit Vegas or California. I mean even if they don't spend a ton of money there, they will have an impact to the locals in those locations.
@TeawithTrishy
Жыл бұрын
@Rob my thoughts exactly. Someone else also mentioned who's considered local? My husband born and raised Oahu, now living mainland for 9 years but travel back multiple times a year? Is he still local? Interesting you brought up the quality of visitor. That would be a good thing because Hawaii does not need anymore Haole coming to be homeless. The other thing mentioned was pandemic improved Hanauma Bay, I'm glad to hear that. Same thing happened in smogy Southern California with all the cars off the road the skies cleared up and smog reduced, but it's back now. Wondering if education is in order for tourists and locals on ways to protect the environment. It seems to me the efforts to improve the island actually takes away the appeal of going there. The new airport/ rental set up in Maui is very nice and convenient, yet I miss getting off the plane and smelling the air with all the plumeria trees around it was the most heavenly experience, sadly that's gone to make the airport better for tourists...sigh Thank you for a great thought provoking video. $50 or $100 I'd still go to visit family and friends.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Would a $50 stop people from going to Vegas? I'm not so sure.
@juanalvarez610
Жыл бұрын
That’s not even a fair comparison. Hawaii is an island state with limited resources and a very small Avenue for bringing in revenue. Aside from that, Hawaii is a a place of natural beauty and if they tore more of it down to make it more appealing to tourists, slowly but surely it would lose its splendor and that would be catastrophic for the state and the locals that would be left with trying to pick up the pieces. Vegas and California have way more resources, more land, and more opportunities to make much needed revenue through different avenues. They also benefit from many industries that help sustain the local economy.
@TeawithTrishy
Жыл бұрын
@@juanalvarez610 sadly on Maui they are already destroying the natural beauty. The large fake waterfall at airport and the large concrete parking lot just before La Perouse...I cried when I saw that concrete being poured...so sad...I've not gone to see what tourists have destroyed. It was a great spot most tourists didn't know about .
@juanalvarez610
Жыл бұрын
@@TeawithTrishy that’s extremely unfortunate. I was in Oahu march 12-18 2023 and I too was not happy with what I saw. I was somewhat content that the north shore and those areas looked a lot like what I remember from my previous trips but still not happy. I was speaking to a gentleman named Mike who has lived there all his life and he was telling me that they are planning on taking out the golf course in Honolulu to make way for more resorts or something to that effect. Sooner or later they will strip Hawaii which I know they don’t care about because they’re more interested in the profit they can make before that actually happens
@meathook2448
Жыл бұрын
I find a visitors fee highly offensive. I’ve been to Hawaii 5 times in the past 7 years, spend anywhere from $10k to $15k each time. There are a lot bigger spenders than me, but in my world that’s a lot of money. It’s already getting extremely expensive to visit as a tourist, hotels, food, rental cars, etc, are going up every year. What in the world is all of the money being spent on? Tourists shouldn’t be punished because politicians aren’t fiscally responsible, and that’s how it feels. Adding an”tourist” fee is a slap in the face, it has NOTHING to do with the amount, it’s the principle of it. No matter how much was extorted from tourists just to step foot in Hawaii, politicians would totally waste it. It’s a horrible idea and the thought of it actually makes me angry.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Mahalo for sharing. I understand the frustration. I think that's why I wish the State would explain what some of the fees/taxes go toward. Not that it would make it any cheaper, but maybe if visitors understood where their hotel tax was going toward it might make it feel a little better.
@kithg
Жыл бұрын
Two points, and they contradict each other. First, the state of NJ has beaches all along the Atlantic coast. They are mainly administered and patrolled by local town governments. Many, if not most, sell what are known as Beach Tags. They cost a certain amount annually, slightly more for shorter stays. So locals and homeowners typically buy tags annually, let’s say for $25 a summer. Weekly tags cost $10, and daily ones cost $5. With those funds, the towns keep the beaches clean and hire life guards. It’s a system that has worked pretty seamlessly for decades, with the added benefit of providing minimum wage summer jobs for the teens and seniors who “check” your tag when you go to the beach. That said, I believe with my whole heart that the politician who tried to charge Hawaii people a fee to go to their own beaches would be out of a job pretty pronto! Kama ‘aina go to the beach! Big time! Requiring tourists to buy a “Beach tag,” on the other hand could be done either at the hotel or at the life guard stand. If you charge every visitor, one of whom I am when I visit my family, a ten dollar fee to maintain beaches and state parks, it’s a beginning. And ten dollars times the millions of people who visit Hawaii is no chump change. But it’s also not enough to discourage people from coming or to feel unreasonable. Just a thought. As always, I appreciate your programs because they do make me think. Thanks!
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for mentioning this. I don't believe anyone here has brought that up as a comparable example.
@alanfrank1358
Жыл бұрын
The beach tag program in NJ has worked well for those towns for many many years. Also remember that the beach tags are only effect between Memorial Day and Labor Day in most of the beaches. Those town also have to replenish the beaches themselves with sand every so many years as hurricanes and storms wash away the sand, I believe this is one of the largest uses of the money collected by beach tags. Of course in Hawaii, maybe they only would use beach tags in certain tourist areas and not the beaches where most locals go. I think certain hikes on Oahu already have parking fees, I am thinking Diamond Head and Manoa Falls.
@RT-xj7el
Жыл бұрын
I think it is a good idea to charge everyone that uses the parks, beaches, and hiking trails. We have park passes for that up here in Washington. I think its a bad idea if they plan to charge everyone entering Hawaii. A lot of times I go back to visit family and I don't even go to the beach. I would be upset if I had to pay the fee. Also, it would become a barrier pretty quick if I had to pay $100 per person in my family. You also have to consider that at least some people will balk at this fee and not travel to Hawaii. There would be more money for the parks via the fee but less money flowing through the economy to hotels and other businesses.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Mahalo for the comment. It would be interesting to see how Washington administers the park passes.
@rickchapman3051
Жыл бұрын
Washington park pass is a 30 fee and you get a placard to put in your windshield. No placard they ticket you. Easy to enforce
@waywayoutwest
Жыл бұрын
@@rickchapman3051 you can also purchase daily passes at the parks thru a pay kiosk. WA state makes it very easy to enforce especially at popular sites.
@waywayoutwest
Жыл бұрын
If it helps fixing and cleaning beach restrooms I would pay the fee. I’m Kama`aina that move to WA state and pay $30 annually for a Discover Pass that allows us access to state parks. Since the state began the program the quality of the parks and restrooms have improved immensely. So I think $50/visitor seems fair to ensure proper staffing and maintenance.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Mahalo for sharing. Glad that the parks and restrooms have improved. I'd hope that would happen here as well.
@mamafromhawaii
Жыл бұрын
That’s pretty neat!
@alienbiggs
Жыл бұрын
Michigan requires visitors to state parks to have recreation passes! You can either pay extra for a special registration sticker on your license plate, or you can buy a daily pass! States like Hawaii and Michigan with so much natural tourism need to invest in preservation!
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
They already do, it's called taxes.
@little5bee
Жыл бұрын
And Michigan state and county parks are beautiful.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Mahalo for sharing about Michigan. Maybe things we can learn from the processes there.
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
@@HelloFromHawaii The only thing to learn is how to continue spending recklessly. What fee is next?
@RodSwansmad
Жыл бұрын
*This fee money will pay for the underestimated amount for the Aloha Stadium ? *If the 50th State Hawaii eventually have a tourist fee , then what would stop the other 49 States charging the same thing ? *Is the fee for non USA citizens or would they charge USA citizens that have a Mainland ID ?
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
All good questions.
@FIRED13
Жыл бұрын
Chris. First, money breeds greed. So, no fee unless there is a fool proof plan & structure in place to ensure all funds are used effectively and not squandered and siphoned off to fatten people's wallets. Second, AFAIK all Hawaii hotel and condo/timeshare rentals are subject to an occupancy tax. IMO this existing structure/mechanism should be used to levy any new tourist fee. Cheaper to not have to reinvent the wheel plus if ensured it is applied to all rentals (eg Airbnb, VRBO, etc), this pretty much guarantees all visitors pay (unless they stay with friends, relatives or on the beach or similar). Also, WHAT does the EXISTING OCCUPANCY TAX pay for anyways?
@warrenmateychak4207
Жыл бұрын
It's not "just a $100 fee", it's ANOTHER fee in a world of outrageous fees. Hawaii hotels have some of the most obscene resort fees and taxes already, not to mention airline fees for every little thing just to get there. People from ALL walks of life are already fed up with additional fees. No Bueno
@Sarah-gm9tq
Жыл бұрын
If there’s one thing I know it’s that hawaii officials would find a way to mismanage and/or steal this fee
@Setthehuk
Жыл бұрын
Mahalo for the conversation. First my point is that “fees” are new taxes. Any government in the world are notoriously bad using them for there intended use. I would bet that all the current taxes collected from visitors and residents all had same justifications as this new tax proposal. Make them be more efficient with what they have already because the new will go for other things that it was not intended. I visit the islands every year with kindness and respect and pay the highest taxes already for using the tourists resources. Keep up the great discussions 🤙🏾
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Mahalo for the comment. I can only hope the revenues would be used for their intended purpose at this time. If that changes over time, well, that's the purview of the State.
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
We are paying $6.00 for a gallon of gas here in California, I think those coming here from Hawaii should help pay for that cost. Every person who lands with a Hawaii drivers license will be charged a $100 visitor fee.
@mylayovers7233
Жыл бұрын
Lived Honolulu for 5 years. Now I live in Anchorage. Hawaii state gave me nothing in return. They keep raising everything and losing population now. The idea of keep charge more for tourists are just disgusting.
@CC-eh3rb
Жыл бұрын
Appreciate your content! Isn't this proposed fee just another avenue to collect more money? Isn't there already taxes leveled for tourist by hotel, restaurants and other venues? I thought some state sights/trails already charge or charge higher admission fees for entrance on tourist?
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
There is general excise tax and transient accommodations tax, but this would (hopefully) be allocated directly for improving those natural resources and not other general use purposes. Again, that could change over time.
@joep4235
Жыл бұрын
Good discussion, but you don't get to neglect the significant "occupancy" tax that visitors are already paying to stay in hotels and condos during their stay. Why isn't some of that money being used for those projects?
@haircole
Жыл бұрын
When the have to be rescued from a posted area. There should be a fee 💲
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
I've heard discussions about that too. We hear about visitors needing to get rescued a lot.
@SuiGenerisAbbie
Жыл бұрын
Chris, I love your content always. But, I have a few thoughts about this visitor fee idea. They are: 1) The minimum amount if $100 / person seems a bit steep. Not all tourists are money bags. 2) The fee should be charged to everyone who uses parks, beaches, Hanauma (sp?) bay and enjoys other natural wonders of Hawai'i, locals included, in the interest of being completely fair. Locals can damage stuff as much as any tourist can, seems to me. 3) If such a fee is only imposed upon visitors, it could be a turnoff and deter folks from visiting your lovely homeland, at all. That is concerning. Visitors might view imposition of such a fee as being prejudiced like the one where tourists have to pay $7.00 / car at the Pali lookout, when locals do not have to pay anything. 4) THE ONLY WAY to preserve Hanauma (sp?) Bay is to keep people put of it, altogether so your lovely reef (with all of its living wonders) can ... grow back! Look at what a lot less Human traffic did to it during the COVID lock-down! The lock-down was just what the doctor ordered. 😊 😊
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
We usually visit with a total of 6. $600 added to our trip is very steep.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Mahalo for the comment. To your second point, I think that would be an interesting idea. I know it would seem ridiculous to charge locals, but I also agree that locals can and do impact these natural resources. It may not be a popular opinion, but it's true.
@brunomclovin8413
Жыл бұрын
You said several times you wouldn’t have a problem paying a fee to go to Japan but that is not a true comparison that is a completely separate country. Question is would you have an issue paying a fee every time you visited California or Colorado ?
@guslevy3506
Жыл бұрын
“How to slowly choke the life out of your Golden Goose.” - Hawaii Govt
@AntilleanConfederation
Жыл бұрын
Very left leaning seems. Too many useless government programs
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Will a visitor's fee do that, though? I'm not so sure.
@guslevy3506
Жыл бұрын
@@HelloFromHawaii Lingchi is the Chinese torture execution method where they tied up criminals and made small cuts to their body. Each individual cut was fairly harmless, but over time, they accumulated to cause unbearable pain and death from shock. The common phrase “death by a thousand cuts” is derived from Lingchi. As a tourist in Hawaii, there are literally too many fees, taxes and surcharges to count. It starts with the airlines, then heads over to the rental car agencies, then to the hotels, then to the parking garage, then to the parks and beaches, then to the activity organizers…and all along the way the State of Hawaii takes small innocuous cuts. To add a “tourist fee” on top of that is shameless. Just mug the hotels, airlines and rental car agencies for the fees and let the tourist pay more to them than to pay another “hidden fee”…
@marckindl1071
Жыл бұрын
Hawaii already has pretty high taxes and a history of public money mismanagement. I simply not believe the government will do what it says. It never does (and bear in mind I am not a US citizen here). In other words, this is another factor getting in the way of choosing Hwaii as a holiday destination. Also, what is with the housing? Food prices? Gas prices? Imports? It would seem to me Hawaii has a long list of problems to solve, but the government spends time on this. Well, good luck with all that.
@robintedd4038
Жыл бұрын
Great video I love watching and your way of looking at things just makes sense. You are right on the money. There should be a fee. $100 would not be too high. It is really easy to collect. All the state would have to do is add it to everyone that does not live there, that flies into the state. That way there would not be a need to enforce it. Everyone would pay it. Kind of like the airport improvement fee that everyone has to pay at most airports.
@piperlani
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for being so optimistic🤙🏼
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
I am hoping for the Budweiser effect when it gets implemented.
@mirashin8400
Жыл бұрын
Thank you 😊 💓
@BlueEyed888
Жыл бұрын
Ya & There should be a $10,000 a year fee charged to all residents of Hawaii to be paid to the families of all the troops who served and defended it and/or who died while serving in the Pacific theater of WW2. How bout that? That would be a start!
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
I'm not sure I understand the applicability here. Why a fee for residents for military service?
@weirandeng
Жыл бұрын
I trust my dog with my spam musubi more than politicians with my tax money.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
lol
@dennis6931
Жыл бұрын
How is this checked? For the thousands of people born in Hawaii but now residing in the mainland do we have to pay that as well? Not all of us have the disposable income and have to save for quite awhile to visit our family.
@projectc2
Жыл бұрын
It already cost a grip to get and stay in hawaii. I lived there for 40 years. Now that I am in the Midwest. Flying there is already expensive. Instead of focusing on tourism, they should focus on a more sustainable income like finding a way to become an export state for goods vs a import.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Mahalo for the comment. Yes, I'd hope that we could diversify our economy so as to not be so reliant on just tourism.
@AS-rx3yk
Жыл бұрын
Hawaii is not Japan. I'm saying it's a state. It's like Kansas charging $50-100 per person every time you step into that state. If you have a family of 6, that's additional $300-600 each time you go.Tourists have options including many parts of Mexico which have more to offer, or other countries, especially during these economic hard times. Hawaii, as it is, is about the most expensive option.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
I understand the difference in reference to Japan. But it's more about the value of the experience. I'd still pay a fee because I think it's worth it. Just as families continue to pay entry into Disneyland when they raise their prices or continue watching Netflix when they raise their prices. Of course, notwithstanding free travel.
@waywayoutwest
Жыл бұрын
You can go where ever you want. There will always be a cost to travel. Whether it’s fuel, airfare, bus fare, train, calories, etc. I have to buy a hunting/fishing license for every state I visit (except Hawaii). In most states I have to pay an entrance/parking fee to visit state parks (except Hawaii). Like Chris said we have enjoyed all of the good parts of Hawaii for FREE and their current wear and tear conditions shows and it’s not pretty.
@mkkaneta
Жыл бұрын
Locals should pay the same fee. Don't they use the same parks and services. It's really just another another tax. The money will go toward maintaining the bureaucracy. It seems the locals are feeling entitled to everyone else's money. I would suggest stop wasting the money Hawaii is already taking in. How about raising the taxes on locals for the luxury of living in Hawaii?
@MarkAvo
Жыл бұрын
Alaskans get an incentive to live in Alaska and Hawaii residents should get the same bot for a different reason. That money should go to residents to pad the cost of living in Hawaii. That would make it so the folks that live there can keep the islands running for the tourists etc. many jobs don’t pay enough for folks to live there so a resident income from that fee would help a little.
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
We are not a socialist country that you want us to be. Your opinion stinks. You say that people in Hawaii live in such a beautiful place, and you want tourist to pay for it.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Mahalo for bringing up Alaska, as I believe they get a dividend. That would be nice.
@MarkAvo
Жыл бұрын
@@Jose_Jimenez that’s not socialism, it’s taxation with a modernized social safety net, a safety net mentioned many times through Adam Smiths writing. That makes a safety net a free market Capitalist concept.
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
@@MarkAvo Did they earn that money? Do you know why many of the restaurants and stores are closing? No one is forcing anyone to live in Hawaii. There was a time where we didn't have social programs, and things were fine. Now we have social programs and we have cities that live off the government. Today's social program buns are not in need, they have learned to be irresponsible. I go to Hawaii to visit family, not subsidize someone's lifestyle.
@damienponech2404
Жыл бұрын
As a visitor, I would gladly spend $100 to help out with maintaining the parks and natural resources of Hawaii. One way you could do it is have the Hawaiian government put a $100 fee on all plane tickets and passengers of cruise ships coming from outside of Hawaii. That way you wouldn't have to worry about enforcement as the fee would already be included in getting to Hawaii.
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for bringing it up, now we know what you scammers are up to. I am hoping outside pressure will stop the BS theft.
@briandoortodoordelivery2236
Жыл бұрын
The only real viable enforcement would be to check IDs when people de-board from overseas flights and charge everyone that does not have a local (Hawai`i) ID (with likely some waiver voucher program for family situations, etc.)...would still face opposition and arguements, but could be part of a push for restricting land sales to those that already have Primary Residence in Hawai`i. Charging an on-arrival $100 (or higher) Visitor's Fee to all overseas arrivals would indeed stop many people from coming. However, as we attempt to adjust the "quality" of tourist visitors, the people who have studied some of the history/culture should have no issue adding a (relatively) small surcharge to their trip to help maintain the islands....and the people who get upset about the idea are much more likely the type of people who travel on tight budgets or the type that get into trouble for trespassing and disrespect-type issues....
@davidbarker5030
Жыл бұрын
It should be attached to their airline ticket, cruise passengers can pay at the port or thru thier ticket
@tleeg74
Жыл бұрын
Screw that, if it wasn't for tourists, Hawaii would have no money at all
@OneSingleCheezIt
Жыл бұрын
If it weren’t for outsiders and capitalism, native Hawaiians wouldn’t need tourists’ money in the first place.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
We'd have money. Just a lot less.
@leternadia
Жыл бұрын
A tourist fee will encourage entitled tourists to slap the butt of the MonkSeals and leave their trash behind at the beach...because the pay for the service. Maybe a different option can be by adding an “environmental impact fee” to hotels & other short term rentals depending on their occupancy, they will pass down the fee to their guests. Or increase the resort fees.
@RanalynnNaipo
Жыл бұрын
They could have a fee for each park, trail or beach park. Maybe $2-3 per person. Exactly what is the fee going to be used for. In my opinion if it’s for maintenance for trails, parks and infrastructure. $75-100 is a bit high. Only because if you have a family of five that would be an extra $500. Plus I do think how the money is being spent need to be disclosed to anyone to look up. Only because there is a lot of corruption in out county, state and federal level. I was thinking of visitors comply with this? Maybe when their booking their flights the fee need to be collected and a card be issued for them to show when their asked. I agree ☝️ when the lockdowns happened our natural resources, especially beaches, trails and our reefs had a chance to recover. Especially with all those spf chemicals are in our beach waters. I would love to see you have a seat if they have a council for this. On the big island we get a discount at our Hawaii Volcano National park. I would pay a flat fee of S100 for locals to be honest. Excellent topic of discussion.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Mahalo for the comment. How do they collect the fee at Volcano? Just at the gate? Online?
@RanalynnNaipo
Жыл бұрын
@@HelloFromHawaiisent the link for the park fees. It think it will end up in your held for review comments since it’s a hyperlink
@shakeelahmed8222
Жыл бұрын
So let's do an example with a $250 per night hotel room which will tack on $11.78 in GET and $23.13 for a grand total of $284.91 per night. Over 10 nights that's an additional $350 and before any resort fees or parking fees. Add those in and you could be talking about another $600-$900 (or more) over 10 nights. According to a study conducted by Travel Hawaii in May 2018, the 111 Hawaii hotels currently charging so-called "Resort Fees" are expected to collect around $385 million in such fees in 2018 from their guests. This is up by $114 million per year from the original study conducted in 2015, when the total was $271 million and there were 102 hotels collecting resort fees. With more Hawaii hotels almost tripping over themselves to implement such fees, and hotels that already have resort fees gradually raising them, this annual number is expected to grow significantly larger every year. The hotels are greedy because they don’t want to pay the travel agencies commission as much as they should be. So that’s why in particular the Hawaiian hotels are getting more involved in these resort type of fees.
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
You don't draw more visitors by making them pay for things they get nothing for. And I guess he didn't take into account that a good portion of the visitors are people visiting their families.
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
When will it end?
@ErikAlanLawson
Жыл бұрын
This is a poor idea. Hawaiian government is already not doing enough with all the taxes they collect off tourists. Also you can't put a general visitor tax/fee on americans coming into a state so it would have to be state park specific. Don't they already have those? Would Hawaiians like a tax to go to Vegas or Disneyland or Florida?
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Mahalo for the comment. Not sure if locals would be willing to pay a fee to visit Vegas, but considering how much locals spend in Vegas, I don't think an annual Vegas pass would deter too many.
@bkproductions3569
Жыл бұрын
This is what Green proposed right? Where is it currently? I donʻt mind the Visitor Impact Fee or Kamaaina Impact fee - because state parks already charge everyone a fee to get in. What I don’t trust is how the fee’s will be filtered and into politicians pockets and not back into residents pockets…
@kevinhsu8184
Жыл бұрын
Having been to Rapa Nui, I would say Hawaiian government just need to implement what they do and over tourism problem will be solved (hence preserve natural resources). They limit number of flights land on the island. The only way to get there is via Santiago and once a week from Papeete. They also limit construction of hotel rooms on the island. Voila. You rarely see a crowd when visiting Moais or anything for that matter. Some may say for Hawaii the boat has sailed. But by not doing anything, like limiting flights into the islands, is only going to make the problem worse. Obviously with every good intentions, there will always be negative impacts. Severely limiting tourists means less money for the state to maintain the island. But luckily due to less usage, maybe there is no need to spend money often to maintain it? Other negative impacts may be lots of people who work in tourism industry and its adjacent will be out of jobs. It’s a difficult balance but you can’t have the cake and eat it too without consequences. As for making Hawaii a premium experience, just take a look at Lanai. Not a lot of planes go there. Only Four Seasons hotels available with one exception. Lots of calmness on the beach and downtown Lanai. Over tourism problem solved.😊
@jonnuanez7183
Жыл бұрын
Proper oversight and distribution is my worry. We all know how that goes everywhere, not just on the islands. And with those potential numbers, you're looking at some potential nice change that "oops I dunno what happened" or 10 parts for me and 1 for you.
@noelrdhawaii
Жыл бұрын
My biggest problem with this is people who are born in Hawaii coming from the mainland or family visiting with other state I.D. how will the state know who's tourist and who isn't especially when not everyone has a passport with them on domestic flights and realistically does money get allocated properly. They are giving themselves raises in the county council and we all know money doesn't get properly funneled and gets wasted. So will this mean all other tourist locations will charge a fee for visitors even though they don't go to all these touristy locations. I literally have met people who only stay at a hotel which is lame. Just saying there's so much that could said about this because its not just about taking care tourist locations our street roads on Maui are really bad and there's no plans on fixing them anytime soon because we are not priority. There is so much I could keep saying but it would never end. There's still pandemic money that hasn't been used so think about that.
@AntilleanConfederation
Жыл бұрын
Only leeches run for office. Sadly America needs a political overhaul. We will end up like Japan soon, over worked, over stressed, and native population decline.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Good point about people who were born here and moved away. BTW, are they still eligible for kamaaina discounts when they come back? Granted that's a much more informal arrangement.
@noelrdhawaii
Жыл бұрын
@@HelloFromHawaii who’s knows.. I’m still stuck on Maui.
@just_inhawaii
Жыл бұрын
I think it’s an interesting idea. I’d be in favor of part of the revenue going to public schools or college scholarships for local kids.
@ronmartinson5504
Жыл бұрын
You should charge tourists a fee when they ride the rail. Or use some of the revenue from the Rail for local sustainability and improvement. My point being is that Hawaii politics is so misaligned and nonsupportive of local issues that giving them more reason to be inefficient and ineffective managing these collected fees would be counterproductive. Everyone will want their piece of the pie. One might consider that turning away a "non-worthy" tourist unwilling or unable to pay a fee might affect generational future travel to the islands for them or their family as they would take their travel dollars elsewhere. Its been stated that hotel taxes already are pretty high. Good discussion though.
@PatrickWestcott
Жыл бұрын
Not a bad idea, in concept. More questions than answers. Transparency on how/where the $ is being distributed is the 1st thing in my opinion. Maybe a small preset charge instead of a large upfront fee. Resorts/attractions/parks have a small $$ adder that goes for this. If $5 was added to this stuff, it wouldn’t seem as bad. There could be a smaller rate for locals. $1 adder for them. Too much to break down completely, but I wouldn’t be opposed to a small adder to do the touristy things. Just my .02 Aloha
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Mahalo for the comment. The details of a program like this would be key. Concept is interesting, but it's always a challenge when there is so much money involved.
@kaylapark7012
Жыл бұрын
Hawaii needs to increase their own tax like New Zealand. i would never pay for going on a beach or hiking as we never pay in New Zealand. I've visited Hawaii number of times and it costs me at least $13,000-15,000 for 7days trip without hiring a rental car (not the affordable place to travel for a tourist)
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Mahalo for sharing. Taxes for locals are pretty high. Not sure how much higher they can go. Would another $50 be too much after spending $15,000?
@Wooptywoop4208
Жыл бұрын
My gosh. Find another way to make up for their poor spending.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Any suggestions?
@ratkocosic89
8 ай бұрын
It would be a better idea to have beach patrol out and fine the people leaving trash out or having the wrong sun sceen. But then most locals would get a fined rather than tourists. Parking i understand to a point.
@Keliiyamashita
Жыл бұрын
Is it per visiting person? So a family of 6 is gonna have to pay $600? You don’t think this is too much? This will definitely make people think twice. $100 per family is okay.
@juanalvarez610
Жыл бұрын
As a tourist of Hawaii and someone who loves the islands deeply and has taken the time to get to know the struggles of the islands…I would have no issue paying the fee so long as it is spent on what you are mentioning. I think there’s a sense of entitlement that we have and assume that we can go and do whatever we want when we visit a place such as Hawaii and very seldom do we think about the impact we have on the local environment and community. The money we spend to get there does not necessarily go to maintain the islands. The money we spend while there does help out the local economy and individual business owners and locals but not the island as a whole. I hate the fact that Hawaii is losing its natural beauty in an effort to make it more tourist friendly. I wish more tourist would drive around the island to see the reality the locals have to live with everyday and not the perfect image we get when we stay for a week in Waikiki. Each time I have gone I have stayed on the north shore or in Laie and have done my best to enjoy what makes Hawaii so magical. If I could afford a life there I would definitely move there but for now I have to be ok with being able to visit. I hope they push this through, use it correctly, and keep Hawaii…Hawaii.
@wesleychun3058
Жыл бұрын
So what about locals who now live on the mainland or elsewhere? I heard this argument/question.
@wesleychun3058
Жыл бұрын
Also yes, do locals take care of the resources that we have. Clean the aina!
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Good question. Not sure how they would distinguish that. Do ex-locals qualify for kamaaina discounts? (I know that discount is somewhat informal, though)
@wesleychun3058
Жыл бұрын
Some places do give kamaaina rates, others look at you and assume you're local.
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
So you are saying it's too expensive to live there, but now you want to charge us to visit? WTF!
@petedien
7 ай бұрын
Hawaiian Governor, politicians and officials are so desperate!!!! Have tourists paid a lot of taxes and fees already? Instead of looking for a different way to bringing money to Hawaii, Hawaii Governor and politicians take a short cut which is tax the tourists!!! Green is not good for Hawaii!!! If he has his way, he would pay 1.5 million dollars for each dead person in Lahaina fire and the tell the families to go away!!! Green wants to take short cuts and find the easy way out!!!
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
Great, get rid of all the visitor taxes, and deal done.
@LordVader.66
Жыл бұрын
Maybe take some of that "fee" out of those $50 a day "resort fees" or spend some of that "excise tax." Nothing i love more than visiting Waikiki and paying to be relentlessly hounded by homeless for money. Imo,locals should more attention to their politicians spending than the extra dollar in a tourist's pocket
@dennistani1986
Жыл бұрын
Chris, I feel that this type of fee would be excellent. It would help Hawaii and locals alike. I feel that $100 per person would be just right. Take care!
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
Just right for what?
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
BS, the morons in hawaii government want the money to fund their failed rail system. If you don't want people coming to hawaii, just say so, and we will stay home. So, tell me how it is going to help Hawaii and locals alike? Go ahead, I'll wait.
@RR-tn8fw
Жыл бұрын
And how exactly would it “help locals” ? Reality is, locals won’t actually see any benefit from the fee and, by itself, it won’t even reduce tourist numbers. It’s just a platitude proposal that dupes people into thinking their leaders are doing something that will benefit them. But in reality, it won’t reduce tourists and most of the money will be spent to administer the program. If they really wanted to reduce tourist, there are other more effective things they could do … like stop expanding the airport … stop promoting Hawaii as a tourist destination … stop marketing for conventions …. stop approving more hotel construction (like the new tower being approved for the Hilton Hawaiian Village). People should look beyond the words and see the totality of actions to determine for themselves the real intent and effectiveness of what they’re being told.
@Keliiyamashita
Жыл бұрын
So a family of 6 paying $600 is ridiculous. They are the ones paying the most when they travel. Instead they will pass on coming here. Now you left with singles who will not add much to our local economy as they are more the adventure/free loading type. 😂
@ChristopherX30
Жыл бұрын
@@Keliiyamashita This fee is just another of the already many ways to fleece visitors!
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
This sounds just like your other video where someone was advocating for no visitors. Would you be happy if you still lived in Colorado?
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
I'm not advocating for no visitors as the other individual was.
@hori166
Жыл бұрын
The government's track record of spending taxpayer dollars efficiently is not that great. Exhibit A: Rail Transit. Exhibit B: Daniel K. Inouye International, etc. I wouldn't trust them to manage a big wad of cash.
@ImplicitlySimplicity
Жыл бұрын
@mereanawi6194
Жыл бұрын
I support it but...1. tertiary students should pay a discounted fee..2. there would need to be an implemented strategic plan that focusses on the specific environmental goals and planning..3. An independent monitor set up to ensure the fees are being used as outlined in the strategic plan. I think most tourists would support at least a donation system. (Im not a local).
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
It is all BS. This theft is to pay for the pathetic rail system's shortfalls. "implemented strategic plan that focusses on the specific environmental goals and planning." More government BS speak for "Let's use it for the homeless, or those who don't want to work. Better yet, let's give it to the unions to pay them back for all their political donations".
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Mahalo for the comment. I thought there was a donation program currently, but I'm not sure how utilized that is.
@brockjennings
Жыл бұрын
So the argument is a tourist has a greater impact on the environment despite the fact they are only on the island for a short period as opposed to a local who is a permanent resident?
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
Your governor just made up my mind. Instead of going to Hawaii, we will be taking the kids to Disneyland. We can ignore the woke stuff, but we can't ignore the visitor fee.
@warrenSPQRXxl
Жыл бұрын
I have to think that tourism is huge for the economy of Hawai'i. Most tourist destinations have a love hate relationship with the tourist. They love the jobs and money but hate the tourist himself. The tourist industry loves to ding the customer with things such as resort fees, baggage fees, hotel taxes, etc.. Would I pay an extra $100? Yes. But economics is about the incremental purchaser who might be affected. It sounds as if Hawai'i just wants rich people, you know those whom liberals (common in Hawai'i) oft berate. The problem is the number affluent is not limitless. If there is a recession Hawai'i might want to welcome more of the hoi polloi.
@OneSingleCheezIt
Жыл бұрын
Probably easier to just increase sales tax and designate a certain portion of the increase towards things like tourists’ impact on the island. As a white mainlander, I would like to see less outsiders and more resources for natives. So charging even more for a taste of paradise for the benefit of natives sounds fair to me, especially if it allowed more natives to affordably live in Hawaii instead of being priced out of their own island nation by people and a system forced upon them by the U.S.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Interesting idea to increase the GET. That would be a tough sell, but could definitely raise a lot of money fast.
@mabuhy
Жыл бұрын
So is the fee applicable one time or if you go different island, do you pay another fee. i think the money collected will go the general fund and who knows how it would be used.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
I believe it would be a one-time annual fee applicable to the entire State. Still, I'd have to check the details in the bill.
@briangarnier5714
Жыл бұрын
What people are quibbling about here is a tank of gas and for many not even or a half a bag of groceries. If this is going to send you into the poor house you shouldn't be taking vacations in the first place, especially expensive ones like flying 1000's of miles to get there in the first place. I traveled there I. The early seventies and from that perspective l can see a huge decline in and on the islands. Maybe we should make your backyard the stomping grounds and see how much you enjoy 10 million people a year coming over and some with the idea that they can do anything even break the laws because they paid a lot for their fun time. And with the internet there is no stone unturned and no private places for the locals to go. I know because when l did live there, the places the locals knew were places you could escape. And these same people that are complaining about a fee that would help clean up and maintain things are the same people that will buy 2 drinks for that same amount. It is sad that so many just want to take.
@johntad751
Жыл бұрын
I'm willing to pay 3x the fees of anytthing for Hawaii if the proof and results been made but lately have you guys seen it.
@gringo848
Жыл бұрын
the real question is should tourists pay for massive local gov mistakes, like the train. What is the schedule for the train? Another 10 years ? How many more billions?
@AntilleanConfederation
Жыл бұрын
Lololol. This is what happens when we let government help us, or solve our problems. End up broke and the problems remain. 😂😂
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
Exactly!!!
@gringo848
Жыл бұрын
Where did the last tax hikes go?? We. spent that money on the train.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Not sure when rail is up, but I heard it will open part of the track later this summer.
@AlbertO-yi2js
Жыл бұрын
Do you really think that the local government will spend it the way you are thinking? The government will just give themselves a raise and not spend it where it is supposed to go. We in IL have a lottery and the money is for schools that doesn't work.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
I don't know if they will, but if that is the intent, I have to assume that.
@mkkaneta
Жыл бұрын
Just tax EVERYONE living in paradise $100 extra dollars. As the saying goes, "Lucky you live Hawaii."
@JeffHalverson
Жыл бұрын
why not collect at Port of entry, or include in airfare and cruise fees?
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Could be collected there.
@christiantucker4876
Жыл бұрын
I am personally perfectly fine with paying a tourist fee to visit the islands. My family and I have fallen in love with the islands and their people. With that said $100 is too much if it’s per person. I know couples that scrape together everything they have just to have their once in a lifetime honeymoon in Hawaii, and $200 (while it doesn’t seem like much) could actually be just enough to make them not want to come when they’re already spending $7000 to come for a week. If it’s $100 per family I think that’s fine though. But $100 per person with a large family is really going to detour some people.
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
Great, why don't you pay for everyone's fee. You sound so generous, do it.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Mahalo for the comment. I still think in the context of things the $100 is okay, but again, I'm speaking for myself. I'd be willing to pay $100 per person to visit Japan, especially if I knew it was going toward improving the impact I might have.
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
@@HelloFromHawaii How do you prove what happens to the money that is stolen. Like I said, here in California, they increased the gas tax several times one after another. They said it was to fix the roads. When they were investigated, it was found out that they were shifting the money into the bullet train we will never see.
@christiantucker4876
Жыл бұрын
@@HelloFromHawaii I agree. Just as long as I could we could see that the money was going to the right place.
@christiantucker4876
Жыл бұрын
@@Jose_Jimenez if $100 detours you from going to Hawaii after already spending thousands to get there then maybe you shouldn’t be going on vacation man 😂
@kelvinyschun
Жыл бұрын
Should follow National and State parks guidelines. Senior discounts. The state park entrance pass system works differently in each state. Many states offer some sort of pass that allows for unlimited entry at most state parks, while others offer park passes on a park-by-park basis. A few states do not charge entry fees to their state parks and thus do not offer an entrance pass.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Mahalo for sharing. It would be interesting to see how a state park fee program would work here. It seems like a lot of the hikes and other places are off-grid.
@kelvinyschun
Жыл бұрын
@Hello From Hawaii There seems to be two societies... law breakers who vandalized the environment and no penalties because homeless and the normal citizens who gets all the bills.
@marcielynn4886
Жыл бұрын
Enough taxes already.
@briangarnier5714
Жыл бұрын
Lol, it isn't a tax it is a fee or should we call it a permit. If you want things to be taken care 9f someone has to pay for it and m9ney only comes from people not the government. The government has no money of its own.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
It's technically a fee for a license. I think a little different.
@captaincopter2387
Жыл бұрын
Politicians always, not usually or sometimes, but always waste money. The government already collects excise takes, transient taxes,county taxes from tourists for hotel rooms. About 1/3 of rental car costs go towards fees and taxes. There are other taxes and fees as well. A new visitor fee would slip away through waste and misappropriation, as it currently does with other fees. However, it would make people feel better, therefore I’m in favor of it.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Mahalo for the comment. Wasn't sure where you were going until the last statement.
@Keliiyamashita
Жыл бұрын
How would you use money to renew natural resources? Closing Hanauma Bay to allow nature to heal is one thing, but how could adding money do that. 😂
@shakeelahmed8222
Жыл бұрын
That was exactly crossing my mind, it’s dirty money they are trying to manufacture here.😂
@christophermckeown1995
Жыл бұрын
Can't help but feel 100% of the money collected would be used honestly...
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
To make it fair, only a tourist can use these areas.
@JM-gz1ej
Жыл бұрын
Why go through all the trouble while you can easily sticking it into the hotels charges and plane tickets ?
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
True. We could do that.
@AlanWendy49
Жыл бұрын
The fairest thing would be to just charge everyone to enter HI. It would force locals to travel less and thats the point. Why encourage locals to spend their money outside of HI?
@Jose_Jimenez
Жыл бұрын
Don't forget, there are democraps in California too. They will make it fair by charging everyone who arrives from Hawaii.
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Mahalo for the comment. I think there are legal issues with charging people to enter a state. However, a fee for using certain natural resources could be a better way to offset the impact of visitors on those places.
@SunnyIlha
Жыл бұрын
*Free* mass transit 24/7 and a *free* *fleet* of State owned low cost basic no frills subcompact cars and Vespa scooters for visiting tourists (user pays gasoline & insurance). Pickup and dropoff at the Airport. The fleet maintenance and repair would create a lot of blue collar Local Hawai'i State Resident jobs. Add the visitor fee upon landing arrival collected at the Airport 90 dollars per adult (18 years old). Children under 18 no fee. Betcha folks visits go up 25% annually. The money can be to ship more white coral sand to Oahu to recondition the Beaches. (This actually would create a bunch of local Hawai'i State Resident jobs too). 😁 C'ma everyone na get here & have fun in da Sun mo often... hurry up, ok. Spend yo moolah in da Tropics 😁
@HelloFromHawaii
Жыл бұрын
Free transit would be huge. Gotta get that rail going. :)
@SunnyIlha
Жыл бұрын
@@HelloFromHawaii Agree, Rail✓✓ 😃
@sherw6456
Жыл бұрын
@Sunny Island That is a brilliant idea!
@D.E._Sarcarean
Жыл бұрын
So you didn't mention it, but the reason it didn't pass (and won't in the future), is that it's unconstitutional. Hawaii is a state of the USA, it must obey the U.S. Constitution (this might sound obvious, but the Democrats that run the state really don't like following laws). The right to interstate travel and privacy is guaranteed, therefore, no state can charge any resident from another state to pay a "fee" in order to visit.
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