The price of (a travelers’) paradise
January 28th, 2008 by Kim
This NYT story, “Hawaii on a Dime,” is number one on the Times’ “Most Emailed” list this evening.
That’s interesting coupled with the Advertiser’s story today which reports an expected 1-percent-plus drop in visitor arrivals in 2007 from the previous year. Increasing talk about a US economic recession is not going to help the situation.
I guess being the “Most Emailed” means Hawaii is still somewhat interesting to NYT readers! Either that, or nearly everyone who has visited Hawaii has noticed how exorbitantly expensive it is here and can relate.
We locals live with high costs every day. But here’s what writer Matt Gross had to say after a recent visit:
Hawaii is easy, Hawaii has nothing to hide. Hawaii is, touristically speaking, pornographic in its single-minded baring of its assets.
Hawaii is also — duh — expensive. According to AAA’s 2007 Annual Vacation Costs Survey, a family of four could expect to spend $650 a day there on food and lodging, making it the least affordable state in the country — and that doesn’t even take into account Hawaii’s gas prices, consistently among the nation’s highest.
But while daunting fuel costs and overpriced villas surprise no one, Hawaii can be ruthlessly surreptitious when it comes to extracting every last dollar from tourists.
“Ruthlessly surreptitious”? Ouch. But then Gross goes on to talk about almost paying $2.95 for a 12-ounce cup of Kona coffee in Kailua (not Waikiki). And I realized, well, yeah, he’s right.
We’ve always promoted the image abroad of a wonderfully relaxing vacation spot. Visit our beaches, stay at luxury hotels, shop at the gigantic and ever-expanding Ala Moana Shopping Center. All these things, with the exception of the beach, cost money.
Leaving the windward side, Gross and his wife make their way to South Kona and Kauai’s Na Pali coast in search of something “less commercial.” Happily, they find what they’re looking for from Hawaii — beautiful and intimate interactions with nature without it costing them an arm and a leg.
It made me think about a trip I took recently to Costa Rica, whose economy is also based heavily on tourism. It was my first time in the country and I was intrigued by the concept of “eco-tourism,” which is supposed to encourage visitors’ appreciation of history, nature and culture while avoiding the negative environmental impacts of conventional tourism.
Costa Rica is all about eco-tourism. During our short stay we saw monkeys swinging from trees, got close-up with a crocodile while riding down the river in a 10-person boat, hiked up a volcano and witnessed baby sea turtles in Tortuguero hatch from their eggs and scramble towards the tumbling Caribbean Sea. The accomodations were nice, but not fancy, and we spent a lot of time in the rainforest without TV, internet or phones.
Would eco-tourism work in Hawaii? Costa Rica and Hawaii surely have a lot in common in terms of what they can offer travelers. And I still think our beaches are more beautiful.
But I’m not sure. I’m also not sure that moving more towards eco-tourism would be welcomed by all Hawaii residents, although many have talked about the idea.
Eco-tourism also wouldn’t make visiting Hawaii free for visitors. Certainly visiting Costa Rica was less expensive but not cheap. Here, Kona coffee would still be $2.95 a cup.
All the same, it’s interesting that more and more people come to Hawaii to escape the concrete jungle completely and get back to the wilderness, hike hidden trails, go snorkeling, or avoid the restaurants altogether and pack a picnic lunch. Less Ala Moana, more Hanakapi’ai. Maybe we should be taking note.
(Photo: Hanalei River Valley, Kauai, 2007)
Tags: eco-tourism, Hawaii, price of paradise
January 28th, 2008 at 3:16 am
Hawaii is Hawaii. Lots of things here that can’t be found anywhere else in the world…and you can enjoy it almost anytime of the year. Can I get a ‘chee hoo!’?
For the most part, visitors can choose their comfort level ranging from a 5-star hotel in Waikiki to a tent in some valley. But it seems that the tourist industry relies on visitors spending money so you know how they’ll promote paradise.
Someone should ask how the Japanese visitors view Hawaii. I went to Kyushu a few months ago and talked to an elderly lady who worked at a bookstore. When I mentioned I was from Hawaii, she said she loved going there but could only save up enough to go every 15 years. And when I told my relatives to visit us (free room/board too), they said ‘maybe in a few years…’. Its like a Hawaii getaway is a prohibitive (almost forbidden?) pleasure…but maybe that’s how some people want it to be.
January 28th, 2008 at 7:18 am
Along with the high cost of
travel to Hawaii,add to the
fact that the drive from the
airport to Waikiki shows a lot
of how within one generation
the state has sported an un-
shaven,ungroomed,and unappeal-
ing appearance.
Notice the stretch of roads
leading into Waikiki,new found
potholes and graffiti are born
everyday.Homeless people are
noticeable,especially in front
of Ala Moana Park.An elderly
lady with 8 shopping carts
has a camping permit,seem-
ingly, in the area of Young
and Kalakaua,others sleep at
bus stops at all hours of the
day.Fresh flowers can’t hide
the above ground piping along
the Ala Wai,another eyesore.
Practicioners of the old Haw-
aii,the ukelele,Hawaiian class
of the 60’s,70’s,and 80’s have
aged and retired.The Kodak
Hulu Show has retired.Sub-
tituting in some places,es-
pecially in front of the
International Market Place are
your street performers.A fine
array of clowns,sketch artists
harmonica,keyboard,and guitar
players.Mix in the parrots,
people handing out leaflets
and people walking around
with billboards and it’s
easy to see how Hawaii has
lost it’s charm.
January 28th, 2008 at 8:05 am
I agree with ralvic. Lets also not forget the stretch that a visitor’s cab driver may take on Nimitz highway. There are many people living “under the bridge” for these tourist to see. Paradise?
January 28th, 2008 at 11:00 am
I find it somewhat ironic that an article from a major newspaper from NEW YORK (where they have water bottle sommeliers, for goodness sakes!) comments on how expensive it is for a tourist in Hawaii.
The fact is that with technology and good will, the earth is getting smaller and borders are getting easier to cross, making a visit to south america just as easy one to Hawaii. I recently spent a few days in Cancun and I can tell you that the hotels, food and shopping are not cheaper than Hawaii. Even when you haggle on the street you’re still getting a discount on products that are marked up 1000% and may not even be what they purport to be. (Those Cubans I bought? Probably made in China!) And in Manhattan you could easily drop $100 for lunch (minus the bottle water, of course).
Hawaii, South America and Manhattan are all expensive. The difference? In Hawaii the threat of diarrhea and corrupt police aren’t as ubiquitous as Cancun and the aloha spirit trumps rude boy attitudes in Manhattan all day, any day, every day.
That being said, I blame Starbucks for the price of everything worldwide! =D
January 28th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Eco-tourism currently exists in Hawaii to some extent. We have the deep sea shark adventures in the North Shore, sky diving from planes above Haliewa, snorkling and scuba diving tours of our coral reefs, whale watching tours, etc…i don’t know what else we could do to promote more eco-tourism in Oahu due to the fact that we don’t have the exotic wild life that Costa Rica has. Maybe expanding on eco-tourism will be good, but the locals don’t want to commericialize to much…its already happened on Oahu and pretty soon will spread to the outer islands with the Super Ferry
January 28th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
I am not particularly averse to articles like this in the Times.
I think for many, and we forget this since we live here, Hawaii is a once in a lifetime vacation destination to Joe and Jane Kansas and Robert North Dakota. It is a vacation that is supposed to be elusive, and expensive. If it was as accessible as a Cancun or Caribbean getaway to the mainland audience, I don’t think Hawaii would have the same allue, and we wouldn’t see the same level of spending, which for better or for worse, as a state we rely on for our livelihood. And for the most part, Hawaii offers both the commercial and natural infrastructure to support this ‘dream vacation’ appearance.
That said, as economic conditions make it less viable to spend thousands of dollars on a trip. Articles positioning Hawaii as a cheaper, accessible destination will help us bring people who wouldn’t otherwise come in a declining market.
Just a thought…
January 28th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
yup
January 28th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Hawaii expensive? Compare here to other popular visitor destinations. My family stayed in a room in London where the bathroom was so small, we had to go in past the toilet sideways. $350 a night. In Paris, it was much the same story. Try getting anything of quality in Manhattan in NYC for less than $400 a night. By contrast, a friend of ours from Japan recently stayed at a very nice, medium-sized, clean room in the heart of Waikiki with a great view for $89 a night! Restaurant here, too, are no more expensive than anywhere else in the country. And there are lots and lots of reasonably priced “Week in Hawaii” deals advertised in Mainland newspapers.
January 29th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
I think aloha spirit and Hawaiian hospitaility go a long way toward easing the pain on the wallet.
A bunch of us tourists visiting Miami last summer noticed how the service there left much to be desired, and I also picked up on the lack of smiles and sincerity/friendly attitudes from industry workers.
If visitors are made to feel welcome, sometimes they don’t mind spending more.
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