Aerial view of Waikiki in Honolulu Source: wirestock
BEAUTIFUL HAWAI’I
And its plea to stop visiting By Kiana Marsan
Islands of Hawai’i experience over-tourism during a pandemic Despite escalating COVID-19 positivity rates from breakthrough cases and the variants, as well as a stagnation in vaccine numbers, an alarming number of tourists have flooded Hawai’i and strained its people, land, and resources this summer. In June, over 791,000 people visited the area. They came without quarantining and sometimes without proof of vaccination, even though residents were told to reduce indoor capacities and social gatherings. They stayed in hotels, while the islands ran out of quarantine spaces and put COVID-19 patients on a waitlist. To keep their pools full, the Native Hawaiian population was prohibited from watering their lawns or cleaning their cars. Beaches that were clean and thriving during lockdown became once again polluted and overcrowded. “I am hurt, confused, frustrated, and saddened by the influx of tour-
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September 2021 | Cover Story
ists traveling to Hawai’i,” said Chelsea Cordero, a multiethnic Native Hawaiian residing in Colorado. “With the limited availability of resources, I am in awe of how tourists are placing their individual interests over the wellbeing of the people and the land.” Shauna Medeiros-Tuilaepa shared similar sentiments about the harm inflicted by the damaged state of her homeland. She is Native Hawaiian and the owner of No Ke Aloha Polynesian Food Truck and Catering. “It is spiritually stressful and disappointing. Native Hawaiians, or Kānaka Maoli, are incredibly connected to the water and deeply rooted with the land. Although it is a trend that has been plaguing the islands for hundreds of years, seeing so many people flooding our lands is still hard to come to terms with on a physical, mental, and spiritual level,” she said. The Hawaii Tourism Authority re-
cently announced its intention to cap the number of visitors staying at Oahu. Last month, Hawai’i Governor David Ige pleaded with tourists from around the world to not visit the islands through at least the end of October. Although the governor’s announcement does not prohibit travelers from visiting Hawaii, he said he is working with airlines, hotels and
Native Hawaiian Chelsea Cordero, who now lives in Colorado, shares a photo from Pu’u Manamana Trail overlooking Kahana Bay
