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Under the Sun Cynthia Oi |
Hawaii and tourism
just seem to go
hand in hand
AN acquaintance once told me that her idea of a perfect vacation would be to lounge in a luxury resort in some place "civilized," meaning there are flush toilets, sewer systems, paved streets, fine stores for shopping and no smelly, noisy marketplaces where animals run free, no unwashed beggars plucking at her sleeves. Twenty-four-hour room service would be requisite, swimming pools nice, but optional.When I remarked that, except for the beggars, she could be describing Waikiki, she gave me the eye and said, "No get wise."
What? I said. Lots of the upscale hotels on Kalakaua have all-day, all-night room service and the strip is home to Prada, Tiffany, Gucci, Louis V. and other choice names that the style-conscious seek.
"Yeah, but it's Waikiki," she answered. "I not one tourist."
Funny, no? Here's a home-grown woman who loves the islands, but who shuns the icon of Hawaii, the very place that millions of people from elsewhere spend thousands of dollars to get to and lots of others dream about visiting. To her, Waikiki represents tourism, and for reasons vague, but visceral, she just doesn't like it.
She's no different from other residents, according to a recent survey about local attitudes toward tourism. The poll done for state tourism officials showed that while people support the industry because it is essential for Hawaii's economic interests, more than half want no more hotels on their islands and prefer that tourism development stay in areas where it now exists. Some see the need for more tourism-related jobs and at the same time view such jobs as low-level employment, with top positions going to "outsiders."
If the results of the survey seem confused, I suspect it's partly because people realize that although tourism can be intrusive, we don't have anything else going for us and that despite politicians jabbering about the wisdom of "economic diversification," there are few other prospects with the kind of singular weight of the industry.
So lots of energy is spent looking for ways to grab increasingly jaded visitors. Officials make deals with television and movie companies to place the islands in a good light, to tease winter-chilled mainlanders with visions of endless summer and bikini-clad, bay-watching babes bouncing along beaches. Politicians conduct secret summits, appoint czars to shepherd the industry, spend millions to hold on to what we have and give up millions more in tax credits to build new "destinations" and "visitor attractions."
Tourism is an ornery beast, sensitive to outside forces, as evident from 9/11 and the SARS scare. Its upswings and retreats often leave officials more reactive than in control.
The talk in the industry now is "sustainable tourism," a concept that acknowledges that there are limits to expansion, lest we kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. There already are signs that tourism on Oahu may be close to a tipping point with more people skipping Waikiki and opting for less hectic environments like Maui.
Even the neighbor islands have their problems. Stop-and-go traffic on the four-mile run from Kapaa to Lihue consumes 40 minutes. At Kaanapali, residents are battling beach vendors for sand space. On Kauai's North Shore, squabbles about boat tours and sewage overflow from park toilets continue.
Hawaii relies on its natural beauty to lure visitors. But will it always be enough? A recent report on national parks displays a worrisome trend: Fewer people are going to such places as Yosemite and the Grand Canyon because of crowds and because younger people aren't attracted to nature's wonders. They want excitement, they want to be entertained.
Although exotic Hawaii may still appeal, the industry may have to adjust. If those adjustments mean more nightclubs instead of moonlight strolls, casinos instead of cultural events, aquarium theme parks instead of reef snorkeling, we may have to go along whether we want to or not. Because right now, tourism is our business -- our only business.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Cynthia Oi has been on the staff of the Star-Bulletin since 1976.
She can be reached at: coi@starbulletin.com.