Hawaii has to decide what kind of tourism it wants: high-priced with fewer tourists or low-priced with more tourists. Remember, high-priced tourism means higher prices for local residents for restaurants and staycations, and low-priced means more crowds in our parks, beaches and roads.

When we came here on our honeymoon in 1965, our third-floor beachfront room at the Reef Hotel cost $18.63 a night, including taxes. The airplane tickets were $233 round trip. Now the same room costs more than $800 a night, including added taxes and fees that amount to about $172 a night. Airfares? About $500 each. So hotels and probably food have increased about 4,300% while airfares have about doubled. That means that getting here is not the cost driver. Staying here is.

It’s time to decide. Make them (and us) pay through the nose, or be overrun by tourists?

Bob Gould

Kaneohe

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