Farmers increase profits by offering tours of operations ADVERTISING Farmers increase profits by offering tours of operations LIHUE, Kauai (AP) — Many Kauai farmers are boosting profits by offering tours of their operations. Steve Frailey, who has owned and operated
Farmers increase profits by offering tours of operations
LIHUE, Kauai (AP) — Many Kauai farmers are boosting profits by offering tours of their operations.
Steve Frailey, who has owned and operated a farm with his family for 30 years, said educating visitors about life on a small Kauai farm is the goal, but bringing tourists to his land also helps market his products and keep the farm afloat.
Frailey and his family started the free farm tours three years ago. He said they have been a massive help in generating extra income, as people buy products on the tour.
Those farmers who want to charge admission for farm tours have to get a use permit from the Planning Department.
Will Lydgate got a permit when he started offering tours of Steelgrass Farm in Kapaa. Retailing products through the tours, Lydgate can make twice as much on a product compared to wholesale.
In the past five years, Kauai has seen growth in agritourism, according to the Kauai Visitor’s Bureau. Some of those activities include tours at Kauai Coffee Co., farm tours and rum tasting at Kilohana Plantation, and touring the Haraguchi Rice Mill.
Ige supports smaller increase in hotel room tax
WAILUKU, Maui (AP) — Gov. David Ige expressed support for raising the state’s transient accommodations tax by 1 percent while maintaining the counties’ share of hotel room taxes at $93 million.
Ige said Friday he opposed a 2.75 percentage point increase in the transient accommodations tax, or hotel room tax, that was proposed by House and Senate money committees in late April, shortly before the end of this year’s lawmaking session.
The governor said a 2.75 percentage point increase — from 9.25 percent to 12 percent, bringing in another $1.3 billion throughout 10 years — would be “too big a burden to be borne by the visitor industry.”
Instead, Ige said a 1 percentage point increase would “be a reasonable increase, especially if it’s for a specific period of time and would go toward helping to fund the transit project.”
Ige’s comments came the same day lawmakers announced that a special session to address rail funding would be convened Aug. 28 to Sept. 1.
County officials have been adamant that the counties deserve a greater share of the hotel room tax revenue.
Official proposes armed rangers to deter homeless
HONOLULU (AP) — A Honolulu official is proposing stationing armed park rangers at city parks, where homeless encampments are common, because of a growing amount of trash and safety concerns.
Residents have taken issue with piles of trash and smell they say come from homeless encampments.
Jen Tema, who lives in Waikiki, said she avoids passing through lookouts at Diamond Head Monument because of the overwhelming stench coming from the area.
Her son no longer surfs at the lookouts because of feces left in the water by homeless campers and her kids need to wear shoes instead of slippers because of fears of discarded drug needles and used condoms on floors at parks, Tema said.
City Councilman Trevor Ozawa wants residents to vote on a 2018 City Charter amendment to place armed park rangers in city’s biggest parks. The proposed rangers would be able to address illegal camping, littering and vandalism and enforce no-smoking policies.
The city already has an unarmed park ranger program in place at Kapiolani Park, Hanauma Bay and the city’s most-used park, the Ala Moana Regional Park, said Mayor Kirk Caldwell. City park employees also have a new shift from 2-10 p.m.
He wants to work with Ozawa to continue improving conditions, but thinks armed park rangers would be an unnecessary expense.
Instead Caldwell plans to ask the next Honolulu Police Department chief to create a division dedicated to homeless concerns.
