Like many other popular destinations in recent years, Hawaii is now taking steps to control the wave of tourism that’s been sweeping back into the islands, driven by pent-up demand after a year of lockdowns and the fact that Hawaii is open where many popular overseas destinations are not.
The steps include, under a three-year plan created by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, managing the number of tourist accommodations on Oahu, as well as land use and zoning changes and a review of airport policies.
Hawaii, whose economy relies heavily on tourism cut it off from most visits at the height of the pandemic, and introduced stringent controls on visitors when it did begin to open the state. Many businesses in the state took serious losses and were pleased to be back in business, but maybe not so much business all at once.
Although the current wave, which is reaching pre-pandemic numbers even without the usual visitors from Asia, has highlighted the situation, some of the local feelings are not new. As one local real estate broker described it to USA Today, “The island has not grown any bigger. The beaches have not grown any bigger. Tourists are smart enough that they no longer enjoy Waikiki and congested areas. They are actually frequenting local beaches and sprawling into local areas.”
