Let me begin this discussion by stating that I pose the question below in all sincerity and in the spirit of learning. Recent Live and Let’s Fly posts on tourism in Hawaii have elicited viral responses, with the comments from Hawaiian residents overwhelming negative.
Do Hawaiian Residents Hate Tourists?
Notice I use the word resident here. This is not meant to be a racial (native Hawaiian) issue, though certainly issues of race and history cannot be separated from any discussion on Hawaiian tourism.
In addition to death threats (which were quickly deleted), three recent stories on Hawaii ended up being reduced to the author being labelled haole, a pejorative term meaning a person who is not a native Hawaiian.
Let’s try to move beyond petty name calling today.
A bit about me. I’ve been to Hawaii about 20 times, with most trips to Oahu. Over the years, I have encountered warm hospitably from residents–both locals (native Hawaiians) and transplants from the U.S. Mainland, Japan, or other places around the world. I’ve never been called a haole to my face or experienced any type of racism.
I’ve also ventured beyond the comfortable confines of Waikiki or Pearl Harbor and seen a side of Hawaii that most visitors will never experience. A friend of mine is part Hawaiian. His mother was born in Hawaii and later moved to California, but many relatives remain there. One time I was in Hawaii with him and we visited his family, who live in a modest dwelling in Waianae. I saw the poverty juxtaposed to the palatial homes near my hotel in the Kahala neighborhood.
While I do not purport to walk in the shoes of anyone but my own, I understand Hawaii’s history and how disease was brought to the islands by imperialist conquerers. Thus, fears over the spread of virus are not unreasonable, especially noting the high cost of healthcare and Hawaii’s more limited medical infrastructure.
Yet, I also note that human history is but a story of conquest and subjugation. That does not justify the historic theft of life, liberty, and property, but Hawaii, from my perspective, has firmly been established as part of the United States and there is simply no going back.
As part of the United States, U.S. citizens have an understandable desire to visit. After all, it is one of the most beautiful parts of the country with superb beaches, mountains, and weather. And this is not a mutually exclusive, one-way stream of benefits. Tourism makes up about 1/5 of the Hawaiian economy, providing vital employment to Hawaiian residents and tax dollars to support healthcare, infrastructure, and social services.
But the sentiment I have received lately, at least on Live and Let’s Fly, is that tourists are simply not welcome…and this goes well beyond COVID-19. Maybe I’m wrong, which is why I am offering this forum for discussion today, but it seems there is a rather large subset of Hawaiian residents who simply want visitors to stay away…permanently.
That strikes me as problematic. Obviously, I’d like the beaches and mountains to myself as well. But the issue goes beyond just tourism dollars. It goes to the heart of what it means to be an American, this notion of brotherhood from sea to shining sea and the old Woody Guthrie folk son “This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land.”
Rather than dismiss those as the trite cliches of the imperialist, we would do well–especially during this incredibly divisive period in American history–to embrace one another, listen to one another, and seek mutual respect. Respect is a two-way street. Visitors need to respect the precarious situation many Hawaiian residents find themselves in. Hawaiian residents need to respect Mainlanders as their fellow Americans, not as trespassers.
Now my question is this: what would that mutual respect look like? As a Mainlander, how can I show respect to residents when I visit? (the answer stay away is not satisfying…) Would historical recognition of past wrongs against native Hawaiians be an important foundation?
CONCLUSION
Together, we need to overcome the virus…but make no mistake: even with proper testing, a vaccine, and a competent public health team, the virus will be with us for a long time. Hawaii cannot afford to say goodbye to tourism and the notion that such tourism cannot be done safely is simply a failure of the imagination.
But this goes far beyond the pandemic, striking a nerve that runs deeper. I’d humbly like to do my part to make the problem less of a problem. Change occurs one person at a time. I’m open to learning.
Thanks for your feedback below. I hope we can have a constructive, respectful exchange.
Hawaiian (ESPECIALLY the natives) seem to hate tourists a lot. At my university, the hawaiians always throw a fuss when people talk about traveling to hawaii, saying that it’s disrespectful to the ancestors, etc etc, etc. It doesn’t further help that I’m someone who supports the construction of the telescope on top of their volcano as I am a Physics student!
So similar to Londoners visiting Cornwall. Cornwall is agrarian, stonkingly gorgeous, & almost as hard to get too as HI. Also pretty dirt poor sans tourism yet full of locals regularly oozing contempt for outsiders.
None of which to say is local feelings are wrong… but for my part, a BCN weekend cost 1/3 a cornish foray and is a whole lot less fuss…. its like – why bother?
Ha – I was just about to say this about Cornwall too, Rob (tho it’s not just Londoners they hate – it’s the rest of country too)!
This article was a waste of my time. Been to Hawaii 5 times, the author has no clue what they are talking about.
Thanks for your valuable insight, James!
First of all your comment refering to your friend,if your born in hawaii doesnt make you Hawaiian ? Blood does. And being hawaiian ( blood) but look “haole” was never an issue w me you earn respect get to know ppl but most tourists ARE ON vacation there brains go out the window ,leave trash on beachs,walk into sacraed places to get a picture when posted “do not enter” refer to locals as dumb or clueless..and complain about how things are ,work operate over here..and DONT LISTEN TO LOCAL ADVISE..when given ..
I would suggest Mr. Clausen knows not of what he speaks. I have been to the Islands at least 20 times and visited them all (except Niihau) and although most natives might accept us (out of economic necessity?), many don’t want us there.
I visited Hawaii at least 20 times before moving there 15 years ago. I have lived on 2 different islands (Oahu & Kauai) and have visited ALL the islands with the exception of Niihau and Kaho’olawe. Many “locals” tolerated visitors prior to COVID-19 but the Hawaii Governor and island Mayors have instill such FEAR into the locals (Native Hawaiians as well as transplants) that right now they do not want visitors period. There is much animosity towards anyone coming to the islands, even those that own property both in Hawaii and on the mainland.
It truly saddens me how the Hawaii government is using this virus to Fear Monger and Control the people of Hawaii, in addition to totally destroying Hawaii’s economy, tourist industry, and forcing many businesses to close their doors permanently.
My sister has lived in Hawaii for 17 years, much like you, I have visited Hawaii enough to last a few lifetimes.
The Natives seem to harbor a feeling that the Islands was stolen from them after pearl harbor and have passed the resentment down the generations.
The Hawaiian residents and locals always developed a communal bond and behave in a way best for the overall community, this was pre-covid.
They do understand that Tourism is an integral part of the state’s economy and as such accommodated tourists. However Covid and specifically the rest of the State’s cavalier approach to it has put them in defense mode. In Hawaii 20 cases of covid a day is an “Outbreak” and dealt with swiftly.
I do believe this is circumstantial resentment and one that will pass in time.
I’ve never really felt this on 10+ trips as a visitor, but I know someone who’s sensed this type of resentment as an out-of-state student at Univ. of Hawaii and has cautioned me from considering it as an option for my own kid.
I’ll be going to Maui (barring future results of my COVID test) on Monday. I’ve fallen in love with the islands. I’ve been probably 30-50 times in my short life, which I know makes me blessed. I, too, can’t accept that all Hawaiians hate tourists, but I understand why some tourists give the rest of us a bad name. A few things that tourists MUST do, in my opinion, if we want to be accepted in Hawaii:
1. PICK UP AFTER YOURSELF. DON’T LITTER paradise! The islands are NOT New York City (or insert mainland city here). Beauty and nature are very important to the culture. If you can’t handle this concept, then you do not deserve to go to paradise, no matter how much money you spend there. I live in a mountain resort area and experienced the “infestation” of tourists, especially from Texas and Florida this summer. While tourist dollars were appreciated, the lack of respect to locals or our health was not. In this way, I can certainly relate to what many Hawaiians must be feeling now.
2. Don’t treat Hawaiians like slaves. Be respectful and grateful that we are allowed to go at all. I went to Maui in March just before the lockdown, and I truly feel that the limited days I spent here saved my life (mentally) and carried me through the pandemic. IF I get to go on Monday, it will be my first time back since the pandemic started. I am so grateful to return. Despite being blessed to travel to numerous places since then, for me nothing compares to Maui.
3. Understand the history and the culture. Hawaii is not just some place you go to spend your tourism dollars like Disneyworld. It is so much more than that. Get out of the resort, respect the land, respect the people.
I hope with these simple rules, I and most tourists would be welcome back to Hawaii. While I understand that there is a minority that never wants people such as us back, the hospitality and feeling of Ohana that I’ve experienced throughout my life in Hawaii have told me otherwise.
Very good sentiment. Thanks for sharing.
To UA premier Guy, if you are a mainlander, it doesn’t matter what you do, but your suggestions are clearly respectable. I have followed these exactly and have gone out of my way to be conscientious of Hawaiians point of view … but I am a mainlander. My wife works for American Airlines and we have been all over the world and I am aware of the Ugly American (believe me, the Germans are the worst), but to say that it is a small minority that thinks this way is purely ignorant and lacking any observational skills. Your are blinding yourself for self-serving needs. It is paradise and you want a piece of it for yourself so you block out what you see as a negative. I say let them be and cut off all financial support. Have you been to Cuba? I say give them want they want!
Everybody says they hate tourists until they realize they ARE one.
Haha. Nice
I faced severe abuse from a local Hawaiian yesterday! All my husband and I did was stop at a pull out to look at the ocean. This woman starts screaming at us asking us to go back where we came from, calling us names, telling us we have no business there, and that she has lived there since 1200BCE, she was screaming saying I bring Covid and people are dying etc..I realized she was incoherent, rambling and abusive. It seemed like someone on drugs and/or alcohol. That woman’s husband tried to intimidate me and I had to warn him, one more step closer to me I am calling cops and filing a harassment lawsuit!!! I was told I don’t belong. I had to explain that as a citizen on public land, I had the right to stand and look at the ocean even if she did not like it!!!! I know it is one bad apple, not the entire island. Travellers to Hawaii need to watch for absuive locals!!!!
I’ve been to Hawaii about 35 times and know several people who are from there and I think HATE goes a bit far. I will say there is resentment towards tourism in general on several levels:
– NIMBYism. many don’t want the crowds of people and traffic that “outsiders” bring. I live in a beach community and I get it, I can’t go anywhere in the summer without wasting 1+ hours in traffic each way to go 15 miles. Local Hawaiians tend to feel the same way.
– Tourism may bring jobs, but they’re not very good ones. Most jobs in the tourism sector are lower wage like housekeepers, clerical, front desk staff, wait staff, guides, etc. The better, managerial jobs are few and far between and often attract mainlanders instead of locals.
– Big resorts aren’t owned locally, but by mainlanders and foreign companies. Locals see the “profits” of tourism leave Hawaii with only investment focused on the tourism sector.
In terms of what tourists can do:
Be respectful, adjust to “island time,” slow down and be courteous. Don’t be “that person.”
I’m already “polite” in the sense that I am respectful and say please/thank you, but what else can I do?
“Yet, I also note that human history is but a story of conquest and subjugation. That does not justify the historic theft of life, liberty, and property, but Hawaii, from my perspective, has firmly been established as part of the United States and there is simply no going back.”
Well you really put your foot in it Matthew. Whatever good intentions you had in starting this thread just got obliterated by that last sentence. For someone who has been to the Islands that many times and seen what you’ve seen there, you really should know better than to even go “there”. You might as well have lit a match in a warehouse of Ammonium Nitrate.
I have been to the islands as many times as you and seen as much as you so I know that Hawaiians don’t hate tourists. But they don’t like stupid ignorant people coming in and doing whatever wherever whenever because they have the money to do so…the people that give a bad name to those of us who actually stop to talk, listen, and learn something new because we love and respect the place and its people. One day I would like to learn Hawaiian. But even when we learn all there is to learn we’ll still be outsiders because we never walked in their shoes and went through what they went through. And never can. And that’s ok.
I appreciate your comment and thank you for taking the time, but I genuinely do not understand why I “put my foot in it”. Much of the world, if you look far enough back in history, is about nations and people occupying nations and peoples. Should the USA give back the land to Britain and Britain back to aboriginal tribes? My statement was purely practical in nature and not meant to explore the ethical dilemma of conquest.
Let me clear up any confusion for you. YES, they really dislike tourists behind that fake aloha.
That simply has not been my experience. I feel like previous LALF posts were shared in certain pro-sovereignty forums which elicited a particularly one-sided response.
Aloha Matthew: Thank you for this article. Being a former kamaaina of Oahu, growing up in the 50’s and 60’s, I witnessed many outwards signs of anti tourism. Besides watching kids throw rocks at tour buses, there were other hostile actions. Being white, many locals assumed I was a visitor especially on the other islands. I got several “looks” when I was speaking with a “native”girl. The local boys assumed I was trying to hook up with her. This was on Kauai, my favorite island. This is such a catch-22 situation. The bread and butter of the economy, yet there have been many attractions that have been decimated by visitors. Heavy traffic and crowded beaches, etc. Hawaii will always hold a special place in my heart. The old saying: “you can take the boy out of the islands but not out of their hearts” is so true! Best wishes!
Hawaii should make vacations there extremely expensive. Only well to do and rich should be able to travel there to reduce the # of tourists.
We need to preserve nature and there is no reason to make it accessible to everyone, everywhere all the time.
Also we need to reduce population. Trump is doing his part by striking idiots with covid. But we should also castrate anyone with more than two children as a pre condition for receiving any govt. Aid. I think with the $600 per week given out under CARES act we may already have a long list of losers that should be castrated.
We need less population in the world.
I think Hawaii vacations should be part vounteer and part tourism.
1 day of volunteering earns 6 days of vacation. The state govt. Should come up with schemes for volunteering. You can get out of volunteering if you pay a $5000 per day.
If Americans say screw that and stop going to hawaii. The state govt. Should jack up the rent on the US naval base till it’s state budget balances.
So many ideas. Come on Hawaii.
You think the DoD pays rent for domestic bases?
Given all that is going on around us as well as respect to the people that have already replied why would you even contemplate writing a blog like this? Certainly you could have worded your title much differently than you did but then maybe not the same amount of clicks.
Having served in the USAF flying though the islands on my way to Vietnam, subsequently visiting the islands then having a branch office and working in the islands islanders don’t “hate” tourist as you so put it, tourist bring on themselves bad things. I think many in the islands would take exception as I do to your post in its current form, Click Bait. I am also married to an islander who is “pure” enough to attend KK.
I sincerely hope you publish this.
Because the comments I received in these three posts (two by Kyle, one by me) flew in the face of reality of my 20+ visits to Hawaii. I’ve studied the history of how the monarchy was overthrown in Hawaii, but this sort of resentment is new to me and I want to fully understand it. My question is reasonable based upon the comments that have been directed toward me on this blog.
Lived in Oahu for 3 years. Most racist place Ive lived in my 50 years, and Ive lived all over the world.
Steve, our best friends lived in Hawaii while working for the FAA. HATED IT! There is actually a ‘kill haole’ day at school.
I
You could ask another question. Does anybody anywhere really “like” tourists, or are they just an economic necessity in many places? Most jobs in the hospitality business are certainly nothing to aspire to. If you’re not somebody that profits from tourism then it’s just adding to the traffic and driving prices up.
I know of a lot of people in high tourism areas that certainly welcome the off season
Well said. I’m from Miami and have seen the same resentment at times from fellow natives and locals toward snowbirds and general tourists.
Are you kidding? I resent other tourists even when i am a tourist.
And to be fair most natives born in beautiful places want easy money. They won’t try to move up the ladder. They stay stuck in the same low tier jobs. A lot of them are lazy and unmotivated. Why else do you think they never left for mainland? The state govt. Should have the resorts show upward mobility of its native staff. If all the upper management positions are filled by people that are not at least 5th generation Hawaiian then make the resort pay a fine.
It’s exactly the same resentment in Venice and, on a much smaller scale, the Australian resort of Noosa. Bali used to have it but it’s developed into a more symbiotic relationship. London, Oaris and Bangkok are big enough to dilute the obvious anti-tourist sentiment.
I think some resentment is inevitable where mass tourism coincides with local sensitivities, and particularly so when there is an impingement on the lifestyle of those not involved in the sector.
What a deliberately provocative and incendiary headline. I thought at first this was sure to be another article by Kyle but was dismayed to then see it was penned by Matthew.
I think it’s a fair question.
Exactly! (At least Klint click baits the sheep via posing a question, where as Stewart purposely incites clicks with sensationalist headlines. High level journalism for Hawaii!)
> Now my question is this: what would that mutual respect look like? As a Mainlander, how can I show respect to residents when I visit? (the answer stay away is not satisfying…)
Sorry it’s so unsatisfying.
I’m a mainlander, too, but here’s the message I’m getting pretty clearly from Hawaiian residents:
Q: As a Mainlander, how can I show respect to residents when I visit?
A: You can start by NOT visiting during a raging, deadly pandemic. Visit another time.
I’d love to go visit Hawaii now, too. But I’ve made the conscious choice not to go, until the pandemic is well under control and my visiting does not put Hawaiians at risk. They seem to appreciate that. Why is this so hard to understand to the oh-so-entitled?
Leisure travel is irresponsible now, period. Only a selfish dick would put a higher priority on their wish for a tropical vacation over the health and safety of those who live where they want to vacation. It’s not complicated.
I’m not visiting Hawaii anytime soon…but I’m so sick of this absolutely absurd mindset of mutual exclusivity that people construct between COVID-19 and travel. Yes, we can walk and chew gum at the same time. It’s called a mask. It’s called social distancing. It’s called frequent testing. It’s called eating outdoors. Or we could all just sit at home, stop the virus in its tracks, and eventually die of hunger and economic devastation. Only someone with tremendous entitlement and privilege can sit on their butt and demand that someone has no right to make a living because of unfounded fears over a virus for which many are pushing a cure that is far worse than the disease.
You said you don’t want to put Hawaiians at risk? Tell that to the thousands who have lost businesses they spent their entire lives creating. Tell that to the children who are being robbed of education and therefore a brighter future due to extended school closures. Are they acceptable collateral damage so you can smugly and self-righteously pat yourself on the back over your “care” for others?
Educate yourself. Ask questions. Think critically. Watch this:
Unfounded fears of a virus? Whats happened to you guys over the last few days? You do know that hospitals in some states are now turning away patients due to a lack of beds?
Wow. Just wow! I always thought you guys were fairly level headed, especially when compared to some other bloggers on BA.
Its a tough time for everyone.
Is there at all a third option that isn’t a point somewhere between the two alternatives of “shutdown + economic collapse” versus “wide-open + public health disaster.”
Is it at all feasible to consider massive government intervention to the point where it’s only uncomfortable but ultimately sustainable to stay at home, even for those who aren’t incredibly entitled? The logistical undertaking would be unprecedented, and certainly there’d be some who receive a net benefit while others feel screwed. However, can we simply temporarily subsidize peoples’ wages as to prevent economic collapse while still enabling them to sequester themselves?
Can someone please explain to me why the government can’t simply print more money to fund an endeavor such as this, in this situation? Aside from betting the US economy against unprecedented monetary policy and a general distaste for social welfare programs in this country, the only obvious answer I can think of is inflation. Yet, we’re at the precipice of financial ruin already, with an overall reduction of economic output aren’t we? With sharply decreased transaction volume and a dwindling supply of wealth, I’d argue that more cash in the system would more serve to blunt a contraction than to increase prices.
We are one country. These state to state travel restrictions are ridiculous and unless you are thousands of miles away in the middle of the water like Hawaii, hard to enforce.
We can’t stop living and enjoying the country we have. If everyone wore a mask, maintained distance and acted responsibly, we wouldn’t be in the situation we are in. Obviously, the lack of national mandate is a problem but we are all adults and need to start acting like it.
It’s really not that hard for us all to do the little things, so we can still enjoy some of the bigger ones – but we have been split in two the past four years, and a certain segment of the population (guided by their “leaders”) thinks it’s some affront to their personal freedoms.
Hopefully we’ll get some common sense again (along with true leadership) come 1/20.
People don’t understand that we live in a federal system in which states have direct administrative control over most aspects of our lives, not the federal government. There is no clear mechanism for a universal federal mask mandate. There is also no such thing as a national popular election for President, so complaints about candidates winning the electoral college vote while getting fewer total votes nationally are irrelevant from a constitutional perspective. The framers created the system this way because they were well aware of the dangers of direct democracy. I would not want to be subject to the dictates of the mob. Universal suffrage is bad enough as it is.
Trump is a symptom of decades-long demographic and labor changes going on in America, but keep blaming the Bad Orange Man for our problems and thinking a Harris-Biden administration with Joe Biden as President will save us all.
I don’t get the big fuss over Hawaii. I’d rather visit any number of places in Asia.
I feel like it’s a worthy question and well asked. Especially given the responses to previous articles which demonstrated a very anti local bias. Such a attitude towards fellow Americans and people whose travel makes the lives of a lot of natives possible is astounding.
If the comments on previous posts are actually indicative of how the majority of residents feel then there is a serious problem.
As someone whose family is contemplating a Christmas visit, I’m curious about this too. I started traveling again in July, once outdoor dining (and outdoors generally being safe), masks, and social distancing were well established. I got so much backlash from friends that I stopped putting any of it on my social media, but didn’t once get a sense that I was unwelcome anywhere I went, from Colorado to Dakotas to Seattle to Utah. I’m not personally worried about going to Hawaii, but my family is worried about whether they’d be welcome and would rather not visit otherwise.
Even this far into a pandemic, I’m just expecting the anti-anything-but-stay-at-home crowd to not change their mind until they get vaccinated. For the ones that actually follow their own advice, you won’t run into them in the real world, so I just go about my business in established safe ways now.
Most Hawaii residents don’t hate tourists. At the very least, it’s tolerated because most people are know that tourism is a big part of the economy. A lot of people here have built their livelihoods around tourism, and they’re struggling.
It’s easy to avoid tourists on Oahu since they’re mostly congregated in Waikiki. The anti-tourist sentiment is heightened however, because enforcement of the quarantine for people who do not get a COVID-19 test is lacking.
I live on Oahu and I went to Maui for a few days just last week, and as long as tourists follow all the COVID-19 precautions (e.g. mask-wearing, social distancing), then you shouldn’t feel any “hate” from the locals. I’d say the “hate” is over-stated based on a couple articles going viral saying that some restaurants won’t allow people who recently traveled to dine in, and comments from some people that truly do not like tourists, but they’re not the majority of the population.
Some of the issues with the posts on your site are the incendiary titles that over-generalize the situation, especially the ones from Kyle. It’s these titles that get shared on other posts, and it just makes Hawaii look bad as the each reference gets further from the original issue at hand. At least you’re a little more reasonable in the comments.
“death threats”
nonsense.
Why do shrill people always claim to have “gotten death threats,” but there is never any physical proof of them?
I’m not going to dignify the sender by broadcasting their message, but rest assured…they came in and have come in for years….some people no know bounds or have far too much time on their hands.
Someone else mentioned it, but I think this is all a symptom of the broader “the tourists are like locusts” attitude simmering below the surface by a vocal minority in pretty much any location overrun by tourism. Let’s face it, there are tourists in Hawai’i and elsewhere who are disrespectful of the culture, purposely desecrate historical and cultural sites for that perfect IG selfie, play the DYKWIA card when dealing with Island Time, etc.
Now, you’re also dealing with some number of “influencers”, bloggers, and just regular old tourists openly flaunting their breaking of local COVID restrictions, whether it’s in NYC, Chicago, Hawai’i, or wherever, whether intentional or not. Heck, you even detailed a time where you unwittingly violated Chicago’s mandatory quarantine for visitors because you weren’t aware of the rules. I might disagree with a particular locality’s restrictions, but the reality is, I as a potential visitor have a duty to know and understand the restrictions in place and what’s expected of me. Not everyone shows respect to that, and yes, that makes residents mad.
Of course, you would never engage in or encourage bad behavior, but it exists, and it’s understandable to a degree why residents would be upset. Add in the stress of months of social isolation (one of the costs of lockdown that the Stay Home Stay Safe crowd never wants to acknowledge), and you’ve got a tinder box of emotions erupting to the surface. It doesn’t excuse the uncivil behavior but I think that’s more what you’re seeing than “Hawaiians hate tourists” (though yes, some do).
MeanMeosh, now you are just ignorant and I am not being mean. Period.
Sadly it seems like debit’s frontal lobes got castrated.
Hawaiians, like many native Americans from the mainland, where savages. It’s easy to paint their past life as “idyllic” but the reality was war, murder, disregard for basic human rights, etc.
I’m sure it’s annoying to have rich folks from the mainland come over, buy the beachfront lots, and be an overall nuisance, but this is hardly unique to Hawaii. Look at the former ghettos of San Francisco that have become gentrified, same with many parts of large cities. You are seeing it now in second-tier cities (Nashville) as the tech crowd leaves Silicon Valley with their laptops six figure salaries.
Ha ha! In Texas they say “Don’t California my Texas”.
I should qualify this by saying that my spouse has extensive experience working with local municipalities across Hawaii to deploy telecom infrastructure, and I’ve definitely gotten a sense of entrenched hostility in local government against outsiders. What surfaces as corruption in government settings may translate to resentment toward tourists.
Ultimately, it’s a subtle and arguably ironic form of racism/nativism/classism? It’s somewhat unusual for such a large population center in the country to be so non-White. I can’t think of many areas on domestic soil where the idea of foreign versus native is so juxtaposed.
The unfortunate answer is that no matter how welcoming and wonderful residents are, or how rare it is for someone to personally experience prejudice, there may very well be a systemic and institutionalized degree of bias. Although noble, Matthew’s question may be as futile as asking what Blacks can personally do to protect themselves from discrimination by the justice system.
I’d imagine the answer is, “there’s nothing that can be done quickly and effectively to change long-held opinions,” as unfair as that is.
I was recently reading the journals of my Great-Grandfather who spent about 3 years in the Islands in the 1880s, part of efforts to teach agricultural concepts in order to improve life. He recounted the friendly natives offering everything they had to those who came to help and improve. Often meals were a little fish and maggot-ridden poi made by leprous hands, he never turned away their kindness.
I understand the reticence of native people to welcome others to their shores. Each trip I’ve had to the Islands I’ve found ways to explore the culture, possibly to try to understand how they treated my ancestor so kindly. And at no point have I had a feeling of entitlement, that I’m spending my hard earned money in your land and so I deserve anything special. Maybe it’s because of these efforts that I’ve felt nothing but welcome and kindness back. I refuse, no matter where in the world I travel, to be just a tourist and everything that stereotype brings with it.
Thank you for this insightful post, I appreciate having a learning discussion about the places I love.
I am a native from Peru and traveled over 12 times to Hawai’i, which is a gem. My wife and I thought to moving to the Hanalei but were told how imposible is to build due to racialy-based distribution of labor and public services. We had an unpleasant encounter with a resident in the road to Hana, but that is no way a reflection of how locals see tourists. We have taken every single “touristic” and non-touristic approach in our visits and have enjoyed all of them. Crowding is an issue, but it is the same in any part where people want to be, Macchu Picchu and the Taj are two examples of places spoiled by tourists. And there is also the behavior of tourist which should be taken into account. And we were famous for being spoiled rotten tourists around the world. So, Hawai’i is just a microcosmos reflecting a balance between protecting your home vs. income to survive as a group. I am still planning to return to Kauai and spend some days in beautiful Hanalei and Na Pali.
I don’t live in Hawaii but I do live in the ‘Forgotten Coast’ in the Florida Panhandle. The area where I live was dependendent on seafood and other agricultural products. At some point, tourism was looked at as a way to bring income into a low icome area. I have a degree in Nature Tourism Management and one of the courses we took was about the cyclical nature of the local inhabitants’ attitudes toward visitors. At first, locals like the money that tourism brings, then they begin to feel the down sides of more people, then they begin to actively resent visitors, then actively work to discourage visitors. ( think Venice) I have worked for a national tourism agency as well and found that one area that creates resentment of tourists is the purchase of secondary homes, creating a loss of affordable housing for locals. Personally, I find the tourists that flock here can be annoying on several fronts. People riding by residential areas gawking and pointing feels very direspectful, people coming here to avoid lockdowns in other areas ( thereby bringing their illnesses with them), people who drive up commodity prices for local people and generally acting as though since the area is not their home, they are free to act in ways that are ugly & disrespectful to local norms and customs ( think litter, acting entitled, parking in resident’s lawns, letting pets run all over, insisting that things are better in (name their home city). Recognizing that I too am a visitor when I travel elsewhere, what can I do to foster sustainable tourism? I can talk to local people and listen to their stories, & contribute to local efforts to build better environments wherever they are . If I add value to the places I visit, if I give rather than taking, if I act respectfully rather than entitled and treat people the way I want to be treated when you visit my home, then hopefully residents can share what they love about where they live and we all learn something positive in return.
Having a family history going back to the 1800’s and multiple generations I can talk about this matter from a Hawaiian viewpoint. Actually there are very few pure Hawaiians, Hawaii is a state made up of immigrants from Japan, Korea, Philippines, among others. The white missionaries had the natives sign over their lands without compensation. When the AMERICAN white plantation owners took over they brought along Portuguese supervisors who treated the natives and immigrants almost like slaves. To this day Portuguese are the butt of jokes in Hawaii. When the Americans built their naval base at Pearl Harbor many of the navy personal treated the locals like dirt and were openly racist to the local population of Hawaiians, mixed Hawaiians, Pilipinos, Koreans and Japanese who were actually the largest single population group in Hawaii until the 1990’s. All these Japanese, Koreans, Pilipinos were brought to Hawaii in the 1800’s to work on the Pineapple plantations, they endured generations of racism, ridicule and mistreatment. At the outbreak of World War 2 the native Hawaiians actually cheered for the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor because to them the Americans were their oppressors. After WW2 and statehood these Hawaiian, Hawaiian mix, Japanese, Koreans, Pilipinos found themselves being the vast majority of the population about 80% mixed and Asian and only 20% white.. This was true until the 1980’s-1990’s when white mainlanders started buying up their properties again.
The GENERATIONS of racism, mistreatment abuse by “white mainlanders” is not going to go away overnight. Even today locals hear a southern twang asking why are all these “orientals” doing in Hawaii.. this infuriates the locals who have been here for 100 years and the white southerner or Midwesterner is the one that they think “doesn’t belong”
I have been to Hawaii one time for ten days.
Yes, I was made to feel unwelcome on several occasions during my trip. I try to travel “off the beaten path” and some of the natives were quite vocal that they wish tourists would go away. On the other hand. others were very welcoming and glad that I was there.
Personally, i do not plan to return as there are so many places that are far more welcoming.
Mr. Klint
I have travel a lot to Hawaii best advise I came give you is visit and stay at different island my island is Kaua`i, love it live it, understand it. Hard part to explain is Oahu & Maui is mostly design for tourist, workers, people who believe this is Hawaii is all about. When I am on Kauai I am on the western side of island, people are genuine, speak there mind, you will understand the history better then on Oahu and Maui. This goes the same for on the big island of Hawai’i and Molokai. more question email me.
Until then noho palekana a olakino hoʻi
My brother has lived on Oahu for the past 23 years ,I’ve visited 4 times and will NEVER go back , yes they hate visitors ,yes they are the largest welfare state in the U.S. per capita and yes they will go bankrupt without tourism ,which frankly couldn’t come soon enough in my opinion, plenty of other places in the U.S. and world to visit,places where they appreciate tourists and the $$ they bring.
Hawaii NEEDS outsiders to survive. Take away tourists, retirees from other States, and the military (paid for by a large net influx of Federal tax money and made up mainly of non-Hawaiian servicemen and -women), and the Hawaiian economy would collapse in a year.
I have many friends and family there, including two (Anglo) Great Uncles who settled there after serving in WWI, and I’ve always found the long-time / permanent residents there to be friendly and gracious. They are slow to form REAL relationships with Mainlanders, but that’s because the vast majority of us come and go.
A close friend of mine from work was assigned there for a multi-year job. He and his family bought a home in an upscale, gated community. The community, including the school his daughters attended, was overwhelmingly people of Japanese descent, and they were treated like they were invisible. My friend was treated fine at work, and he had a significant role in off-hours entertainment and business meals, etc., but his wife and daughters were absolutely miserable and had no social life at all where they lived and attended school.
We are leaving Hawaii right now. And we are so happy that our vacation is over. Never again we’ll prefer this place to SouthEast Asia or other beautiful and WELCOMING parts of our planet. Aloha, good bye forever!
I am actually in Hawaii right now for my second time. My first trip I had no problems. Everybody was so nice. I went to three different islands on that trip. This time I am only staying on Maui and our first day we were standing on this little beach. It wasn’t really a beach just a little sand area by our condo. We didn’t have any towels or trash or anything to say anything negative about us. This car was parked by the road we assumed they were doing something on their phone or something and then the guy drives off and screams “F*** TOURISTS” and I just felt really hurt cause all we were doing is standing!
We don’t want you here. That is how locals feel. I am half white half Mexican and I get this feeling everywhere I go these days until I talk and they can see I speak pidgin. So everywhere I go I see locals being friendly to each other but ignore or be rude to me–in front of other locals to show their pledge of allegiance against the haole. They do get embarrased when they find out I am actually Mexican.
Yes, it has gotten much worse throu the years, esp recently. I like to take my local daughter with me wherever I go just so people arent rude to me. (I live in town but more near Kalihi)
First of all, if you’ve come to Hawai’i 20 times you would think you’d know a little about Hawai’i and its people. Haole is a foreigner and simply that. Local and Native Hawaiian are two separate things, local is the term for people who have lived in Hawai’i from 10 years to many generations, and Native Hawaiian is blood. Hawai’i does not hate tourists, they do not like the fact that you would travel here to our ISLAND during a pandemic, and we also do not appreciate the tourist who comes here to live permanently knowing we are an island with many people on here leaving Hawai’i residents nowhere to go. (If you want further information on this I’d look up tax property causing Hawaiian residents forced to leave their family home) I cannot speak for all when I say this but I know I do not hate tourists I love educating people it’s just some tourists that do not respect our land, our people, and our voices. People here who give death threats, and spread constant hate from both sides (Hawai’i residents and foreigners) are the ones who are uneducated enough to do so. To be clear on your statement on how Hawai’i is a part of the u.s we all wish we weren’t by the way. We were illegally overthrown and wish it never happened and that’s why we fight so hard every day of our lives to keep Hawai’i as local as it can be and prevent things like the telescope on Mauna kea from being built. We fight to keep our culture, our land, and our history alive. Until you are a minority who understands what it’s like to be on the bottom of an invisible chain then come speak to us on your feelings. Foreigners will always find a way to disrespect anything that is not owned by them.