76% of locals don't want more hotels

Hawaii residents want more tourism jobs, but not the hassles that come with an expanded visitor industry, according to a report released yesterday by the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

Prepared by John M. Knox & Associates, the 2006 Survey of Resident Sentiments on Tourism in Hawaii is the fifth in a series of telephone surveys about tourism. The survey tracks how residents feel about visitor industry growth, quality-of-life issues, job quality, and community values.

While 74 percent of residents surveyed agreed with the statement "overall, tourism brings more benefits than problems," and 51 percent wanted more tourism jobs on the island, less than half said that tourism was generally good or that it made their quality of life better.

The majority of residents surveyed, 78 percent, said that the island economy depends too much on tourism and 76 percent said that they don't want to see any more hotels built in Hawaii. Many, 62 percent, said they also believed that the island is "being run for tourists at the expense of local people."

More than 1,600 Hawaii residents participated in the most recent poll, which was conducted in September through early November.

The survey shows that Hawaii residents are most concerned with mitigating growth, said John Knox, who conducted the survey.

"Hawaii residents understand and appreciate the economic benefits of tourism, although 37 percent believe that local government and the industry have not done enough to balance such benefits with problems caused by rapid growth," the report said.