Search Results: the first step

for some context:

This has been an issue since before the wildfires. The tourism industry does not directly help anybody of Native Hawaiian descent.
Some points to be made are that
1) some tourists disrespect the environment.

the increase in tourism has resulted in problems such as overcrowding, littering, an overextension of our rescue and emergency resources & damage to the fragile ecosystem. some native Hawaiians may feel that tourists do not show enough respect for the environment.

2) disrespect for the locals.

many visitors act rudely and entitled on their “expensive vacation” towards locals which can be seen as blatant disrespect to the culture and the residents. they step on sacred burial grounds to get a better view of a sunset & steal the lava rocks when they leave. they take the wrong way on illegal hikes - putting local first responders in danger & wasting already strained resources by needing to get rescued. they spray non-reef safe aerosol sunscreen all over the beach.
*granted- this is not every tourist but its enough to the point where they no longer want visitors.

3) economic disparities

some native hawaiians believe that the tourism industry has benefited more than the locals themselves. more and more natives are getting priced out of their homes from foreign or out of state investors and corporations. i think it is a common misconception that tourists believe they are helping the economy by spending lots of money but in reality the profits go to those corporations and not the natives.

and i just want to conclude this by saying while tourism in itself is a prevalent industry all over the world, it’s important to recognize the impact it causes on certain communities. There are other options out there!!!