---
title: Planning a summer trip? Maybe skip Hawaii, says Hawaii
description: "Lei low, spend high: Hawaii struggles to strike a delicate balance in its bid to solve overtourism."
---

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# [Planning a summer trip? Maybe skip Hawaii, says Hawaii](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/planning-a-summer-trip-maybe-skip-hawaii-says-hawaii)

 Written by [Jacob Cohen](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/author/jacob-cohen) | Jun 3, 2023 4:33:18 AM

How popular are Hawaiian vacations? It wasn’t long ago that Maui’s [cheapest](https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2021/03/29/day-rent-car-low-supply-surging-demand-are-pushing-up-prices-hawaii/) rental car was a $722-per-day Toyota Camry.

On one hand, the surge in travel following the state’s pandemic-driven [~24%](https://www.npr.org/2020/10/20/925795410/facing-economic-devastation-hawaii-attempts-to-revive-tourism) unemployment rate has been a welcome development.

On another, it’s a sobering reminder of Hawaii’s complex overtourism issues.

#### **Say HI to high costs**

Hawaii has been so good at marketing itself that it’s come back to bite ’em in the form of… too many tourists.

In 2019, Hawaii’s 1.5m residents [hosted](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-05/hawaii-s-overtourism-problem-may-get-worse-than-ever?srnd=pursuits-vp&sref=3Ac2yX40) a record 10.4m visitors, bagging $2B+ in tourism tax revenue — along with the steeper piles of garbage, traffic, and local housing costs that come with it.

A 2022 survey found 67% of residents [agreed](https://www.khon2.com/hawaii-travel/do-you-agree-hawaii-is-being-run-for-tourists-at-the-expense-of-locals/) Hawaii was “run for tourists at the expense of local people” and 66% preferred their tax dollars be spent managing tourists’ impacts rather than encouraging further tourism.

#### **Lei-ing down the law**

In early 2020, Hawaii reformed its tourism office with a [plan](https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/who-we-are/our-strategic-plan/) the authority’s president said would “balance between tourism’s economic benefits and its impacts on local communities.”

Interestingly, as tourism rebounds near pre-pandemic highs, the state does appear to be making more with less: In March, Hawaii saw [97%](https://dbedt.hawaii.gov/blog/23-18/) of 2019’s visitor numbers, but a 23.4% increase in tourist spending.

Progress hasn’t been quick enough for some legislators — Hawaii’s tourism office now faces funding cuts and even flat-out replacement by an agency with no marketing focus, per *Bloomberg*.

While that gets sorted out, tourists will keep making their presence known, [driving straight into harbors](https://jalopnik.com/hawaii-tourist-drove-van-into-harbor-because-gps-said-t-1850403521) and whatnot.

[View full post](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/planning-a-summer-trip-maybe-skip-hawaii-says-hawaii)

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