The state’s prioritization of tourists over residents has been a longstanding concern for the local people of Hawaii. Tourism’s devastating impact on the environment — the core of Hawaii’s culture, and also a large attraction to visitors — has only compounded this feeling. Add on our new COVID-19 reality, and the issue of tourism has reached a tipping point for local residents, so much so that Gov. David Ige is urging visitors to reschedule their visits to the islands.

However, the reality is that tourism isn’t going away anytime soon. The Hawaii Tourism Authority’s newly proposed mitigation plan is therefore an ideal solution, as it merely reduces the number of visitors rather than stopping the flow altogether.

After a year of closure, Hawaii is unprepared for the sudden return of tourists due to restricted restaurant capacities, limited access to rental cars, and understaffed hotels — all of which are taking a toll on citizens and tourists.

To put things in perspective: March 2020 and March 2021 saw relatively the same hotel occupancy, but there are approximately 40,000 fewer jobs in the hotel and restaurant industry in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau Labor of Statistics and Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA).

A recent profile of Jungmin “Coco” Kim, a front desk clerk at the Waikiki Resort Hotel, testified to the fact that being short-staffed creates stress for both guests and employees. She stated that some days, desk clerks occasionally take the bellman’s responsibility of handling luggage, creating stress for both the employees and guests, who face longer waiting times.

HTA’s mitigation plan is necessary to balance the job creation and economic activity of tourism with a manageable number of visitors that match the capacity of our local workers and businesses.

Not only are hotels understaffed, but Hawaii had been at full visitor occupancy while there was a severe shortage of other resources elsewhere in the islands. In early July 2021, Maui encountered a water shortage even while a concerning number of tourists visited the island. Tourists vacationed on Maui while residents were prohibited from using water for “nonessential activities” such as irrigation, watering the lawn, or washing their cars. This prioritization of tourists’ wants over local residents’ needs caused an uproar within Hawaii’s communities.

Thankfully, the HTA’s recently approved management plan specifically aims to reduce the number of visitors by implementing changes to land use, zoning and airport policies. The plan also includes supervising visitors’ car usage by applying a tourism fee to directly support conservation of natural resources, effectively minimizing tourism’s impact on the natural environment.

This proposed plan would focus on simultaneously satisfying the local community and tourism industry, while still allowing a fair amount of visitors in and keeping local residents and the environment in mind. Those in opposition to HTA’s new plan are likely thinking of the economic advantages tourism brings to Hawaii. But how much are we willing to sacrifice for the sake of the economy?

The people of Hawaii have long demanded action against the negative impact of the tourism industry and it should no longer be prioritized over the needs of Hawaii’s people and the natural environment. Hawaii officials finally recognize the devastating impact of tourists on residents and the environment, and reducing this overwhelming influx of visitors is a start to bettering the tourism industry and its relationship with local people.

With the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s mitigation plan, the best version of Hawaii is yet to come.

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Carolei Edra, a Sacred Hearts Academy graduate, Class of 2021, is now at the University of Hawaii-Manoa.

“Raise Your Hand,” a monthly column featuring Hawaii’s youth and their perspectives, appears in the Insight section on the first Sunday of each month. It is facilitated by the Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders.

www.ctlhawaii.org