Eh, no worry, brah! If you was tinking bout visiting da kine beautiful parks and trails of Hawaii, no need break da bank yet. Hawaii no goin’ pile on top new fees aftah all on da tourists who like see more of da state’s most popular state parks and trails. ?️?
Da latest version of Senate Bill 304 was looking to expand da concept to charge one fee on tourists fo’ help offset their impact on state trails and parks. Visitor “green fees” already stay in place at Diamond Head State Monument, Haena State Park, Waianapanapa State Park, and ‘Iao Valley State Monument. Green fees supposed fo’ fight climate change and help maintain da state’s most popular tourist attractions. ??
Da bill would have set up da visitor impact fee program within da state Department of Land and Natural Resources. Then da department would have collected one fee of $50 from visitors fo’ get one license to visit state parks, forests, hiking trails and other natural areas. State Rep. Sean Quinlan (D, Waialua-Haleiwa-Punaluu), chair of da joint Senate and House conference committee dat was looking at SB 304, said no had enough time fo’ pass da measure. ⏰?️
“We made one big kine change right at da end wea we changed from one study into an implementation plan,” Quinlan, who also chairs da House Committee on Tourism, told da Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “We had offered a conference draft one to da Senate. It had half a million dollars fo’ da plan and then $362,000 fo’ positions fo’ salaries.” ??
Even though da measure no pass dis session, Quinlan plans fo’ work on da measure over da summer and said he stay “very committed to dis idea.” ☀️?
Sen. Lorraine Inouye (D, Hilo-Pepeekeo), chair of da Senate side of da joint committee, called da death of da bill “a little upsetting.” “No knowing dat my bill was going to die…was just…a little upsetting,” Inouye said. ??
Wid a background of 21 years in da visitor industry on Hawaii island, Inouye said, “I believe dat, you know, charging visitors, I think, is da right ting to do.” But she said da proposed $50 fee was too small. “If they stick to $50 as recommended by da governor to address sea level rise, global warming, carbon infiltration, as well as addressing the parks, that’s not going to be enough,” Inouye said. ??️
When asked whether she plans to take up da measure next legislative session, Inouye said, “Oh, yes, yes, yes, definitely.” Da idea of charging tourists fo’ offset their impact on da state’s most popular parks and trails remains popular. ??
Plenty organizations wen’ submit testimony in support of da latest version of SB 304, including da state Department of Land and Natural Resources, da Office of Planning and Sustainable Development and da Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission. ??️
“Da green fee is one important mechanism which going fund da expansion of conservation actions all ova da state dat would greatly increase da resilience of natural lands which stay key to economic, food, water, health and climate resiliency,” wrote Leah Laramee, coordinator of da Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission. ??
But had some who neva’ agree with da idea, worried that more fees going scare away da tourists. “You going end up chasing away visitors and da People of Hawaii going Have to Come aftah you in da Courts,” wrote Gerard Silva. ?♂️?
Adding more visitor fees on top tourists was one of Gov. Josh Green’s key goals dis legislative session. “By da end of da Legislature, we going have dollars fo’ da impact that travelers have on our climate, and that’s da most important thing,” Green said in January during one appearance on the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s “Spotlight Hawaii” live-stream program. ??
Following da “green fee” bill not passing dis legislative session, “da Governor is disappointed that da visitor impact fee bill did not pass, but remains committed to protecting Hawai‘i’s natural, cultural, and environmental resources,” Green’s director of communications, Makana McClellan, said in one statement to da Star-Advertiser. “Our administration will use dis as an opportunity to have a broader conversation about tourism destination management, and work on a detailed bill for next session using all the feedback we received from this year’s legislation.” ??
Then-Honolulu Council member Mufi Hannemann was da one who created legislation to charge visitors to enter the city’s Hanauma Bay. The fees went into one special fund for preservation, maintenance and education, which has been going since da early 1990s. “I’ve always believed in da concept of an impact user fee, that a fee can be assessed as long as it goes back to that particular attraction, that trail, that valley, that beach park, so that improvements can be made and that will benefit not just visitors or tourists, but also local residents,” said Hannemann, now president and CEO of the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association. ?️?️
Hannemann said dis legislative session had plenty bills with different kinds of da “green fee,” which could be one of da reasons the effort fell short dis session. “I think one of da issues that there are so many versions of a green fee — everything from charging someone a fee to just coming to the islands and then basically the usage of that fee — was also widely debated and discussed,” Hannemann said. “So I think that all those areas led to da lack of consensus, if you will, which I think was one of the reasons why, at the end of da day, it was hard to move forward.” ??
When asked whether a “green fee” will deter visitors from coming to da state, Hannemann said he doesn’t see people staying away, “because we have plenty of other attractions, plenty of other places for people to go to and so forth.” ??️
Hannemann does believe that da idea of implementing “green fees” will return again next legislative session. “These bills take time,” Hannemann said. “There was a lot of discussion. I’m sure we’ll see it again next session. But our position is going to be very consistent. We’ll follow and we’ll support the model of an impact user fee.” ??️
So, fo’ now, no extra fees fo’ visit our beautiful parks and trails. But who knows what da future brings, yeah? Regardless, Hawaii’s aloha spirit remains strong. We welcome all visitors to come experience our beautiful ‘aina, and we ask that you respect and care fo’ it as we do. ???
NOW IN ENGLISH
??️ No Extra ‘Green Fees’ for Hawaii Visitors for Now
In a turn of events, Hawaii has decided not to impose new fees on tourists wishing to visit more of the state’s most popular state parks and trails. ?️?
The latest version of Senate Bill 304 had proposed a fee on tourists to offset their impact on state trails and parks. ??♀️
“Green fees” are already in place at Diamond Head State Monument, Haena State Park, Waianapanapa State Park and ‘Iao Valley State Monument. These fees are meant to combat climate change and help maintain the state’s most popular tourist attractions. ??
The bill would have established a visitor impact fee program within the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. The department would then have collected a fee of $50 from visitors for a license to visit state parks, forests, hiking trails, and other natural areas. ???️
However, State Rep. Sean Quinlan, chair of the joint Senate and House conference committee that considered SB 304, said there wasn’t enough time to pass the measure. ?️⏰
The decision to not pass the measure this session doesn’t mean it’s off the table. Quinlan plans to work on the measure over the summer and is “very committed to this idea.” ??
Sen. Lorraine Inouye, chair of the Senate side of the joint committee, expressed her disappointment over the bill not passing. Despite this setback, Inouye believes that charging visitors is the right thing to do. However, she felt that the proposed $50 fee was too small. ??
Several organizations submitted testimony in support of the latest version of SB 304, including the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, and the Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission. ???
Leah Laramee, coordinator of the Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, wrote that the green fee is an important mechanism that would fund the expansion of conservation actions across the state. She emphasized that these actions would greatly increase the resilience of natural lands which are key to economic, food, water, health and climate resiliency. ???
However, not everyone was on board with this idea. Some expressed concerns that more fees would deter tourism. One such critic, Gerard Silva, wrote, “You will end up (chasing away visitors) and the People of Hawaii will Have to Come (after) you in the Courts.” ?⚖️??
The concept of imposing additional visitor fees on tourists was one of Gov. Josh Green’s key priorities this legislative session. Despite the “green fee” bill not passing this legislative session, the Governor remains committed to protecting Hawaii’s natural, cultural, and environmental resources. He sees this as an opportunity to have a broader conversation about tourism destination management and plans to work on a detailed bill for next session using all the feedback received from this year’s legislation. ?️??
Interestingly, this isn’t a new concept in Hawaii. Mufi Hannemann, a former Honolulu Council member, authored legislation to charge visitors to enter the city’s Hanauma Bay. The fees went into a special fund for preservation, maintenance, and education, which has been ongoing since the early 1990s. Hannemann, now president and CEO of the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association, believes in the concept of an impact user fee. ???
However, he also noted that the legislative session included several bills with different variations of the “green fee”, which could be one of the reasons the effort fell short this session. When asked whether a “green fee” will deter visitors from coming to the state, Hannemann said he doesn’t see people staying away because Hawaii has plenty of other attractions and places for people to visit. He does, however, believe that the idea of implementing “green fees” will return again next legislative session. ?️??
In summary, while the ‘green fee’ bill didn’t pass this time around, it’s clear that it remains a hot topic. With the passionate commitment of key figures and organizations, it seems likely we’ll see the bill return in future legislative sessions. Until then, visitors to Hawaii can enjoy its beautiful parks and trails without any additional fees. ??️?
