Last November, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser published a story, “In a first, Hawaii tourism on track to surpass 10 million visitor arrivals this year.” It is evident that 2019 was a banner year for tourism, capping off a decade of growth in statewide visitor arrivals. Thanks to studies by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, we can look deeply and objectively at tourism trends in our state — and not only understand but also act prudently to address rising concerns among local residents about the buzzword overtourism.

The number of tourists arriving in Hawaii each year continues to increase. We are a premier destination known for our aloha spirit, that people from around the world want to visit and experience. As tourism is our top industry, we must be prepared to meet the future demand posed by potential visitors.

The Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism Association is a strong proponent of responsible development of lodging properties in hotel-designated areas, and we will always strive to be environmentally sensitive and to cherish, respect and nurture our Hawaiian culture. Our view is that construction of new hotel properties and the renovation of aging resorts will only help our industry attract the high-quality visitors that we seek.

The benefits that come with continued development of lodging options in Hawaii are myriad. First and foremost, building additional hotel rooms means more jobs as Hawaii residents will be the ones building these properties and staffing them when they are complete. This means employment opportunities for skilled laborers, for housekeepers, and front office staff.

Secondly, a surplus of traditional lodging options will be necessary as our counties work to rein in the proliferation of illegal transient vacation rentals (TVRs). This is ever apparent on Maui, which sees more than 3 million visitors per year; nearly 10 times the number of local residents on the Valley Isle. Similar statistics can be found on the other major islands.

For example, Oahu will see roughly six times as many visitors arrive each year as there are local residents, while Kauai, with a population of roughly 72,000 people, sees an average of 1.3 million visitors per year. Many of these visitors have turned to TVRs during their stays and have spread far outside tourism-designated areas. Our industry’s goal should be to draw TVR users back to tourism-designated areas. These areas are well-equipped to handle the massive influx of people that visit us each year and have the needed infrastructure to support our state’s top industry.

Resorts around the state are attempting to accomplish this by spending millions on development projects and renovations to their properties. On Hawaii island, Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows was renovated and rebranded as Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection. On Maui, overhauls have been completed at the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa as well as at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua. And Oahu witnessed the opening of the Halepuna Waikiki, and Residence Inn by Marriott in Kapolei in 2019.

Later this year on Oahu, the Princess Kaiulani is slated to be demolished and rebuilt into a 33-story tower. On Kauai, the Princeville Resort will close for business to undergo a $100 million remodel, while The Grand Wailea has planned a $150 million renovation that would add 151 new rooms to the 776-room property on Maui. The oceanfront resort will also expand its parking structure and enhance its pool and restaurant facilities.

This increase in hotel room inventory and the upgraded visitor experience provided by these renovations will allow us to attract more high-quality visitors while also ensuring that local residents can continue to live, work and raise their families in Hawaii.

Mufi Hannemann is president/CEO of the Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism Association.