Big Island residents are reporting an increasingly favorable view of the visitor industry, with East Hawaii residents expressing a more positive opinion than their West Hawaii counterparts.
That’s according to a survey released Thursday by the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. The survey, conducted by Omnitrak Group Inc., was a combination of telephone and online surveys between May 7 and July 30 of 1,955 Hawaii residents. The samples were weighted according to population distribution, with 839 on Oahu, 458 on Hawaii Island, 403 in Maui County, and 255 on Kauai.
“Sentiment is strengthening toward tourism,” Ross Birch, executive director of the Hawaii Island Tourism Bureau, said Friday.
In the survey, 75% of West Hawaii residents and 80% from East Hawaii agreed that tourism is worth the issues associated with the industry. That compares to 75% statewide.
“The Kohala Coast Resort Association understands the importance of gauging resident sentiment toward Hawaii’s visitor industry, and we are glad to see there is positive momentum on a few key indicators,” said Stephanie Donoho, administrative director of the Kohala Coast Resort Association. “We believe the resorts along the Kohala Coast exemplify the principles of successfully managed tourism.”
In addition, more than half of Big Island residents—56%, compared to 54% statewide, strongly agreed or somewhat agreed that tourism brought more benefits than problems. East Hawaii residents were more positive, with 57% agreeing, compared to 54% in West Hawaii.
Those residents who said tourism creates more problems than benefits listed overcrowding as the top concern, followed by damage to the environment, high prices/higher cost of living, traffic problems, no respect for culture/tradition/aina, too dependent on tourism/should diversify and health concerns, such as viruses and the potential for epidemics.
The positive feelings are growing, however. Significantly more Hawaii Island residents agreed with the statement, “I feel like more effort is being made to balance economic benefits of tourism and quality of life for residents,” in spring 2022 compared to the previous fall. East Hawaii residents were more likely to agree than West Hawaii residents.
Birch attributed the more positive attitude to implementation of destination management plans that are specific to each island. Donoho agreed, saying the members of the resort association have been active in creating and implementing the various components.
“A few key initiatives: introducing our guests to more local food produced by Hawaii Island farmers, ranchers and fishermen; sharing and perpetuating our Hawaiian cultural programs with visitors and residents; and distributing Hawaii’s Pono Pledge to meeting planners bringing groups to our island, travel media, and our guests during the booking process,” Donoho said.
John De Fries, Hawaii Tourism Authority president and CEO, praised the many sectors of society that worked together to create destination management plans.
“It takes a collaborative effort to bring these destination management actions to fruition, from the respective steering committees and task force members HTA has convened in recent years, to the increased inter-agency coordination among state and county departments, visitor industry stakeholders, and the substantial array of community-based organizations engaged in cultural and natural resource stewardship and community enrichment programs,” De Fries said in a statement.
The Spring 2022 Resident Sentiment Survey is available on HTA’s website: www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/research/evaluation-performance-measures
Awareness of the plans is lagging, according to the survey, but Birch said the word is getting out about such initiatives as Hawaii Island’s award-winning Pono Pledge as well as other tourism management projects within the plan.
“It’s not just the actions themselves but also the communication to our local residents as well,” Birch said. “All those are within the destination management plan. … It seems it’s all coming together.”
Email Nancy Cook Lauer at ncook-lauer@westhawaiitoday.com.