Overtourism is concentrated visitation that degrades residents’ and visitors’ quality of life.

Seasonality and weak infrastructure drive congestion, with narrow roads gridlocked at peaks.

Venice’s Old Town has under 49,000 residents but about 20 million tourists annually, propelled by unchecked growth, social media, and volume‑first models.

Short‑term rentals and multinational capital raise rents and shrink long‑term housing for locals.

Tourism accounts for 12.8% of Spain’s GDP and 12.6% of jobs, fueling social tension and calls for regulation.

Barcelona will ban short‑term tourist rentals by 2028 after rents rose 68% in a decade.

In the Balearic and Canary Islands, tourism drives GDP and jobs—40% of employment in the Canaries—yet housing crises persist and over 33% live in poverty.

In Tenerife, mass tourism has inflated property costs and rents, pushing some residents into shanty towns and tents.

Tourism produces about 8% of global emissions and accelerates habitat loss and pollution; COVID‑19 slowdowns cut emissions and aided wildlife.

Vietnam’s tourism generated 55,000 tons of plastic waste in 2019, projected to reach 340,000 tons by 2030.

Mount Fuji, Ha Long Bay, and Koh Samui face overtourism, pollution, and resource strain; protected areas like the San Gabriel Mountains and Lake Superior report litter and ecological threats; the Ganges shows reduced flow and garbage near pilgrim and tourist areas.

Hotspots include Venice, Barcelona, Rome, Dubrovnik, parts of Japan, and popular islands and coasts in Spain and Southeast Asia.

Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Venice test hotel bans, rental limits, and cruise restrictions; Venice also caps group size, restricts loudspeakers, and charges an entry fee.

Cruise measures include daily passenger caps, arrival limits, and proposals for ship‑free Saturdays.

Hawaii emphasizes cultural preservation, education, and capacity management to protect Native Hawaiian communities and ecosystems.

Overtourism is concentrated visitation that degrades residents’ and visitors’ quality of life.

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Content:
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Sedona Film Festival presents ‘Crowded Out’

“Crowded Out” is a powerful short documentary exploring over-tourism, featuring interviews with local residents and global experts. (Image provided by SIFF)

Originally Published: September 14, 2022 8:43 p.m.

The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the third film in its four-week Sustainable Tourism Film Series. “Crowded Out: The Story of Overtourism” will show on Thursday, Sept. 22 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre at 4 p.m. The event will also include a selection of “Sustainable Travel: Where Next?” short films along with a panel discussion.

“Crowded Out” is a powerful short documentary exploring overtourism, featuring interviews with local residents and global experts.

Overtourism occurs when there are too many visitors to a particular destination. When rent prices push out local tenants to make way for holiday rentals, when narrow roads become jammed with tourist vehicles, when tourists cannot view landmarks because of the crowds – these are all signs of overtourism.

And it is the backlash from local residents that has made overtourism news. Cities such as Barcelona, Venice and Dubrovnik, and places once thought of as remote such as Iceland and Skye have suffered firsthand, and the protests by local residents have spread.

There has been decades of virtually uncontrolled growth, and it has crossed a threshold: in many destinations, tourism now demonstrably creates more problems than benefits.

This special event will also include a selection of short films from “Sustainable Travel: Where Next?” This series includes short-form documentary films, featuring insightful stories from the global travel and tourism sector showing how they are driving sustainable travel and protecting these precious destinations.

Following the screenings, there will be a panel discussion with representatives the City of Sedona, the Sedona Chamber of Commerce, Keep Sedona Beautiful and the tourism and hospitality industry here.

“Crowded Out: The Story of Overtourism” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 4 p.m. Tickets are $12, or $9 for Film Festival members. For tickets and more information, please call 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona. For more information, visit: www.SedonaFilmFestival.org.

The final film in the Sustainable Tourism Series is:

Thursday, Sept. 29 at 4 p.m. “Vendemmia”

Seasonality and weak infrastructure drive congestion, with narrow roads gridlocked at peaks.

Venice’s Old Town has under 49,000 residents but about 20 million tourists annually, propelled by unchecked growth, social media, and volume‑first models.

Title:

Content: Point of view
Lin Chi-yin
Lin Chi-yin: "Traveling Everywhere" and "Over-Travel"
Earlier, the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Hsia Baolong, advocated the concept of “travel everywhere ” to fully explore Hong Kong ’ s tourism resources.
To speed up the implementation of the concept, the authorities are planning to set up a "special class" to bring together people inside and outside the Government for in-depth discussions.
In recent days, officials and legislators have expressed their views on the development of "red tourism", exploring new spots in the community, beautifying the streets, and presenting some scenes in the movies.
Simply put, it may be the story behind the attraction, or the accumulated word of mouth on social media, and every tree and grass anywhere can become a tourist attraction.
Of course, the author hopes that the "class" can launch various new ideas; and since the task of the class is to implement the concept of "travel everywhere", then how to implement the concept is the best for Hong Kong, the industry, the community and the public, the class can not ignore.
The University of Hong Kong campus has been forced by tourists, and the school has implemented reservation measures this month.
HKU itself has a complete management structure, and the university can still implement crowd control according to the situation. However, if some scenic spots that go deep into the community or even close to residential buildings are really "red hot", it may not be easy to implement crowd control.
“Everywhere travel ” is a concept, the key to implementation lies in the ability of the authorities to foresee problems. If you rely only on“ see and see ”, it is very likely that good things will turn into bad things.
“Aggressive ” Travel
In 2018, the word “overtourism ” was chosen as the Oxford English Dictionary ’ s word of the year, referring to the negative effects of overloading the area, declining quality of life and environmental damage caused by the influx of tourists to tourist attractions.
For example, Venice, Italy, which has long been affected by “overtourism ”, is not a“ once in a lifetime ” – the local population is only 50,000, and the number of daily tourists has exceeded the local population; during peak season, the number of daily visitors has even doubled.
I have friends who visited the place more than a decade ago, and they all agreed to say that people are crowded and will not go again.
In addition to Venice, some European cities or small islands with a tourism-led economy (such as the Canarias in Spain) also face the problem of job opportunities, high prices, and a homogenization of shops. Multinational companies invest heavily in hotels and holiday cottages, which also lead to higher rents, which locals can ’ t afford.
Even if tourism brings a lot of jobs to the region, it does not mean that the average person can earn a living wage.
People in these places understand the importance of tourism to the local economy, but they do not want the tourism industry to be unlimited, resulting in the resources of the whole place are only for the service of tourists.
"Tourism Hazards" and How to Deal with them
In Japanese society after the epidemic, a similar term, "tourism nuisance", has also appeared to describe problems such as traffic, noise, nuisance, and garbage pollution caused by too many tourists.
This phenomenon, in addition to the popularity of exchange rates, affordable air tickets, and people's desire to travel after the epidemic, social media will also have the effect of focusing on specific hot spots.
In the era of image-led, everyone can follow the picture, some places that were not originally planned as tourist attractions have begun to face sudden overcrowding.
Hong Kong people who love to visit Japan will not be unfamiliar with two “attractions ”: the Daokou near Enojima Electric Railway ’ s Kamakura University Station, and a Lawson convenience store in Kawaguchi-cho.
The former is the "holy place" of the popular manga "When Men are in the bottle". In recent years, the crossing has been congested with traffic due to frequent visits by tourists to "punch", local people can not get on the electric train, and some tourists are dangerous for taking good photos. Lawson is also a "punch" attraction, and the picture is a convenience store with a beautiful view of Mount Fuji. of tourists are constantly crossing the road and parking without permission, causing local residents to feel troubled.
Too many tourists can also lead to a decline in the quality of service, even in Japan, which values the spirit of “work people ”.
When I visited Japan last year, I saw some shops find ways to deal with “tourism hazards ” on their own, such as not allowing diners to take photos in the store, so that after the photos are uploaded to social media, it will cause more people to come and see them; limiting the number of diners to the number of people that the staff can serve, even if the seats are not full.
However, some tourists always find it difficult to understand the intentions behind these arrangements, and I have heard some tourists complain: "Obviously there is still a place, why not let us sit?"
When these conflicts can no longer be handled by businesses and residents themselves, how to strike a balance between “tourism ” and“ public nuisance ” will gradually become a policy issue.
The most extreme way to deal with it is to “eliminate ” popular attractions – coincidentally, the authorities of Kawaguchiko recently erected a 20-meter-long and 2.5-meter-high“ black curtain ” in front of Lawson to drive away tourists who came to take photos.
The reason why the authorities have to take extreme measures is that management alone can not prevent tourists from rushing out of the road, which is actually to "play the spot".
In addition, there are more and more tourist cities and hotspots charging tourists "admission fees" or "admission fees", but this method can not play a large role.
In Venice, for example, the city has been charging a 5 euro entry fee (about HK $42) to “overnight ” travelers since last month.
However, these fees simply cannot curb the huge demand for tourists, and the revenue is mainly used as a financial source to cope with "excessive travel", which can only cure the symptoms, not the root cause.
The Real Meaning of “Travel Everywhere ”
At this point, some people may point out that the above problems will only become problems if we succeed in attracting tourists to Hong Kong; what we have to focus on is how to get more people to come to Hong Kong.
However, how much tourism can bring to a city depends on the management and policies of the city, not on the remedial measures that can be taken.
Although the share of tourism industry in Hong Kong's economy is far less than that of the "tourist city" mentioned above, Hong Kong can't wait to see that other places are looking for countermeasures for the "tourism nuisance", and even start to turn to attack, redefine the tourism industry from the planning level and actively promote tourist education.
In Amsterdam, the Netherlands, for example, the government announced last month that it would ban new hotels and limit the number of cruise ships to return the city to a livable and tourism-friendly city. In Kamakura, Japan, people are no longer concentrated at certain points by decentralizing transportation (such as the launch of electric tricycle rental business) and proactively promoting multiple circumnavigation routes (such as the travel routes at 13 locations of Kamakura Shogunate).
The main disadvantage of post-event remediation is that the difficulty and cost of solving the problem are greatly increased, which will also affect the experience of tourists. More than 10 years ago, the North District of Hong Kong also experienced a pharmacy every few steps, and the situation of residents in the North District driving out water consignors on their own, which hurt the feelings of the people of the two places.
In particular, there are many policy issues that can be foreseen in advance, and we do not have to go through them personally before we know what the problem is (for example, the legal problems faced by cleaners under the garbage levy will not be known until the moment of trial).
Since there is a great deal of experience and policy measures in various places to refer to, the “Special Class ” must also strike a balance between tourism and city operations when formulating tourist routes and supporting packages, otherwise the attraction will only lead to losses. After the city of Kamakura solved the problem of overcrowding of tourists, the tourism industry representative of Kanagawa Prefecture (that is, the seat of Kamakura City) pointed out:“ Attraction is not tourism. ” The amount of time it takes to win is certainly not appropriate.
“Travel Everywhere ” is not just about adding tourist attractions, but promoting quality tourism in a more nuanced and proactive way to avoid problems.
The author is a public policy consultant.
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Previous / Next News

Short‑term rentals and multinational capital raise rents and shrink long‑term housing for locals.

Tourism accounts for 12.8% of Spain’s GDP and 12.6% of jobs, fueling social tension and calls for regulation.

Title:

Content: Sunday 07 July 2024
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
Abdurrahim Ali
Editor-in-Chief
Dalia Abdul Rahim
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editorial Board
Abdurrahim Ali
Editor-in-Chief
Dalia Abdul Rahim
The world.
Demonstration in Barcelona against mass tourism
Follow the latest news through the app
Thousands of people demonstrated in Barcelona against excessive tourism, Radio France Internationale reported.
I opened the slogan "Enough!
Some 2,800 protesters, according to police, marched to demand a change in the economic model of the most visited city in the country.
Critics of excessive tourism mainly condemn its impact on housing prices – rents have risen 68% over the past decade, according to the Barcelona City Council – but also its harmful consequences for local businesses, the environment and the working conditions of local employees.
Barcelona received more than 12 million tourists last year, according to the city council.
To facilitate residents ’ access to housing, the city council recently announced its desire to end rental of tourist apartments by 2029.
Spain, the world's second-largest tourist destination after France, welcomed a record 85.1 million foreign visitors last year.
The most visited region was Catalonia with 18 million visitors, followed by the Balearic Islands (14.4 million) and the Canary Islands (13.9 million).
Tourism in Spain accounts for 12.8% of GDP and 12.6% of jobs.

Barcelona will ban short‑term tourist rentals by 2028 after rents rose 68% in a decade.

Title:

Content: Airbnb backlash will be bad news for Irish holidaymakers

Concerns about overtourism alongside a shortage of long-term accommodation and rising rents makes change inevitable

Hello again. Hopefully you are either enjoying a well earned holiday break or looking forward to one.

For many people, holiday travel is now as likely to mean staying in an apartment or house booked on one or other of the online platforms pitching such accommodation as opting for a hotel room.

Airbnb, the big kahuna in the market with a reported 50 per cent share, understandably makes big play of the advantages – a “more authentic experience”, “mixing with locals”, “feeling more at home”. And it’s true to a degree. Home stays certainly offer more flexibility than a hotel.

But the apartment your friendly host is letting to you is one less home available for a local family looking for longer-term accommodation in your holiday location. A report by the New York City comptroller back in 2018 found that landlords could expect to make the same money on the short-term letting market in 11 days as they would get for the month from a long-term tenant. And that, increasingly, is becoming an issue.

READ MORE

It’s not entirely surprising. When they arrived on the scene, the short-term letting platforms such as Airbnb were disrupters of a global hotels sector that had done little over many years to address consumer experience or cost. Partly for that reason, growth in private short-term letting has been exponential.

And, of course, it offered homeowners a chance to boost their income in a fairly flexible manner around their normal routines.

But as with all these things, the original intention can get lost in the evolution of a business. While Airbnb started very much as a homeshare concept, with people offering rooms or beds in their homes to passing holidaymakers who were mostly on tight budgets, the arrival of more mainstream travellers and entire families on these sites inevitably saw demand more entire apartments and holiday homes increase.

The nature of the landlords changed as well. In a recent release, Airbnb placed the focus on hosts firmly as being “everyday families who typically share their primary home for just three nights a month”. The platform said its Irish hosts earned “more than €5,600 a year” on average.

“More than half of hosts in Ireland say they host to afford the rising cost of living, and over a third say the additional income helps them make ends meet as energy prices and mortgage repayments increase,” they said.

That may well be true but it is undeniable that short-term letting on Airbnb and other platforms has increasingly attracted professional and even corporate landlords. Anyone using the service of these platforms in recent years will have come across hosts that are anything put humble homeowners.

Overtourism protests

For local residents – in Dublin, around Ireland’s tourist hotspots and across Europe and North America – the inevitable outcome has been fewer homes available to them for longer-term rental or purchase, and higher rents, as growing numbers of visitors force out the very people providing the “local colour” the short-term letting platforms cherish.

That has led to a dramatic rise in the number of protests against overtourism. Accommodation is not only flashpoint. Cruise ships disgorging, on average, 3,000 people at a time on to already busy city streets and the sheer number of sometimes less than sensitive visitors to certain tourism hotspots are also proving magnets for protest.

Politicians are becoming increasingly sensitive to the issue – especially the message sent out by thousands of short-term holiday lets being available in cities that struggle to offer housing options to residents. Dublin, after all, is not the only city with a housing crisis.

Most recently, Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni has pledged to phase out all short-term tourist letting licences by late 2028 and return 10,000 apartments to the residential market.

That is the most extreme in a series of restrictions that have been put in place in cities as diverse as Paris, Berlin, Florence, Amsterdam, New York, San Francisco, Montreal, Honolulu, Singapore, Scotland and, of course, Ireland.

Strict rules in Ireland

Ireland already has fairly strict rules in place for anyone looking to offer a short-term let – stays of fewer than 14 days – in one of the State’s 61 rent pressure zones. These cover not just the big urban areas that you might suspect but also locations such as Mullingar and Westport.

Anyone renting out either their family home for short-term lets of more than 90 days in total in a year or in a second home regardless of the annual total of days requires planning permission.

For two years it has been promising even tougher measures. These will certainly include a requirement for everyone who is offering short-term accommodation to register the details with Fáilte Ireland and include their registration number in all online listings.

Failure to do so will lead to fines of €300 – and potential fines in court of up to €5,000 – for the property owners and the platforms.

Such registration is increasingly the norm internationally and almost all players in the industry, including Airbnb, which has lobbied heavily against tighter restrictions on its business, says they favour the process which increases transparency in the sector.

As a byproduct, of course, it ensures compliance with things like tax law in an area where, in some international markets, this has been rather lax. It should also improve health and safety standards although these are generally already fairly well observed as a business necessity.

The Irish legislation also promises tighter control on planning for short-term lets. No details of this have yet emerged, which seems odd and certainly unhelpful as it only fuels uncertainty for those trying to run short-term letting as a business.

The aim of the Government moves is the bring an estimated 12,000 of the 30,000 properties currently advertising on online platforms back into use on the long-term rental market.

But, as with so many of the locations feeling the heat over short-term letting, tourism remains a key sector in the Irish economy – and potentially even more critical in more rural and remote areas in the west of the State. Policymakers have a very delicate balance to strike in trying to ease a housing crisis without damaging a sector that is among the biggest employers in the State and a critical contributor to many local economies.

Airbnb points to rising hotels prices in New York where short-term guests are now allowed only where they share the accommodation with the property owner, and in Scotland where what it calls “heavy-handed new short-term let rules” resulting in a low number of licences being granted have seen hotel prices rise by 9 per cent in Edinburgh this year alone, according to one industry assessment.

Short-term letting has been a boon for the holidaymaker and for many property owners globally but the pressure on housing and concern about overtourism means the pendulum is undoubtedly swinging the other way. That will mean increasingly tighter controls on who can stay where, and what it will cost to do so.

No one ever wants to spend more or earn less than they can but what hosts and travellers really want is some clarity on what the rules will be so that they can at least plan ahead.

You can contact us at OnTheMoney@irishtimes.com with personal finance questions you would like to see us address. If you missed last week’s newsletter, you can read it here.

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In the Balearic and Canary Islands, tourism drives GDP and jobs—40% of employment in the Canaries—yet housing crises persist and over 33% live in poverty.

Title:

Content: Today, on April 20, 2024, the Canary Islands are witnessing a widespread protest aimed at challenging the current development model heavily reliant on tourism. This significant event is set to occur simultaneously across all eight islands of the archipelago, as well as in various cities internationally including Málaga, Granada, Madrid, Barcelona, Amsterdam, London, and Berlin. The protests are unified under the slogan “The Canary Islands have a limit.”

Booking.com

The protest aims to reshape the development strategy on the islands, highlighting concerns about the tourism sector’s role in economic disparity and resource consumption. Despite tourism supporting approximately 40% of employment and being a primary contributor to the GDP, it’s also associated with creating inequalities and not distributing wealth effectively among the local population. This is exemplified by the Canary Islands recording their highest tourist numbers alongside their highest poverty rates in both 2017 and 2023.

Organizers clarify that the intent is not to expel tourists or eliminate the industry but to implement limits and conditions, and address governance that prioritizes economic gains over broader interests. Key issues fueling the protests include:

  1. Low Wages and High Poverty Rates: The Canary Islands have some of Spain’s lowest salaries and a significant poverty rate, affecting over 33% of the population. The islands have experienced rapid population growth, particularly in Tenerife and Fuerteventura, exacerbating these issues.
  2. Environmental and Infrastructure Concerns: Despite having numerous protected spaces, the islands face challenges such as insufficient protection agents and underdeveloped infrastructure in health, education, and sanitation. Notably, several islands struggle with untreated wastewater being discharged into the sea.
  3. Housing and Over-Tourism: The spread of holiday homes has dispersed tourists across the islands, impacting local communities by driving up rental prices and displacing residents. This issue is compounded by the government’s initiatives to attract digital nomads, further straining the housing market.
  4. Legal and Regulatory Challenges: Recent government stances on controversial tourism projects, like those on La Tejita beach and Cuna del Alma in Tenerife, have sparked outrage for perceived favoritism towards developers despite legal infractions.

The protest is seen as a venting mechanism for accumulated frustrations with the aim to initiate significant changes in how the islands develop and manage tourism. Proposals include imposing a tourist tax to fund environmental conservation, enacting a moratorium on new tourist accommodations, and establishing residence laws to curb speculative real estate purchases by non-residents.

This protest is part of a broader call to reconsider the islands’ economic models, prioritizing sustainability and equitable growth over mere economic output. This event might mark the beginning of a significant shift in policy and public discourse around tourism and development in the Canary Islands.

The Canary Islands are on track to set a new historical record for tourist arrivals in 2024, continuing a trend of increasing numbers which began in earnest following the pandemic. With official estimates indicating a potential total of around 17 million visitors for the year, this surpasses the previous high of 16.2 million in 2023. These figures are bolstered by a significant recovery in tourism since the slowdown during the COVID-19 years of 2020 and 2021.

This surge in tourism is seen as a double-edged sword. On one hand, it signifies a robust recovery and a boon for the local economy, driven by both foreign and domestic visitors. On the other, it underscores the challenges and pressures faced by the islands, particularly in terms of infrastructure, local community impact, and environmental sustainability. This has led to today’s widespread protests across the Canary Islands under the campaign “Canarias tiene un límite” (The Canary Islands have a limit), highlighting concerns over the sustainability of this growth model.

The protests reflect broader anxieties about the direction of tourism development, which, despite its economic benefits, is perceived to exacerbate local issues such as high poverty rates, environmental degradation, and the displacement of local communities due to rising housing costs. These concerns are amplified by predictions that the influx of tourists may continue to grow, particularly with the diversion of tourists from Eastern Mediterranean destinations affected by geopolitical tensions, such as the conflict in Gaza.

In response to these pressures, there is a growing call for more responsible tourism practices. Organizations like Exceltur advocate for strategies that alleviate the saturation of local spaces and services, promote more sustainable transportation options, and address the social impacts of tourism. This includes managing the explosive growth of vacation rentals, which have significant negative externalities on local residents.

The protests and the ongoing discourse represent a critical juncture for the Canary Islands, as the community seeks to balance the economic advantages of tourism with the need for sustainable development and equitable growth. The outcome of these discussions and the ability of the islands to adapt to these challenges will likely shape the future of tourism and community life in the archipelago.

Booking.com

In Tenerife, mass tourism has inflated property costs and rents, pushing some residents into shanty towns and tents.

Title:

Content: 'I live in Tenerife - we've had enough of ignorant tourists keeping us up until 3am'

Fed-up locals in Tenerife are gearing up to march against unsustainable mass tourism next month.

By Alice Scarsi, World News Reporter

Fed up locals in Tenerife will take part in a march against overtourism in April (Image: GETTY-STOCK)

Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands, welcomed a record-breaking number of tourists in 2023.

Data shared by the local Chamber of Commerce revealed more than 6.5 million people arrived on the island in 2023.

Most notably, the number of arrivals - around five million of which were international - was 600,000 higher than that recorded in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the tourism sector worldwide.

While tourism remains a vital sector for the island's economy, the mass arrivals have become more than a nuisance for many residents.

The large demand for short-term accommodations is one of the factors pushing up the cost of properties and rent, forcing many locals out of their homes and cities.

Particularly in southern Tenerife, some unable to pay rent had to relocate to shanty towns, motorhomes and tents.

Mass tourism is also placing local services and infrastructure under immense strain.

Moreover, as local municipalities are introducing stringent water restrictions amid a drought emergency, residents fear masses of tourists may worsen the situation on the island.

These, however, aren't the only challenging aspects of overtourism.

Josua Garcia-Garcia, 33, who works in a bar in Playas de las Americas, lamented the disregard for rules and lack of manners displayed by some visitors.

Tenerife welcomed a record-breaking number of tourists last year (Image: GETTY-STOCK)

He told the Olive Press: "It can be a nightmare when the tourists come, I only get four hours of sleep every night because of the music and noise, which keeps me up until 3am. We need stricter rules for tourists, a lot of them are ignorant of how we are suffering."

British expat Alex Kelly, 20, who works in the Rejoyce bar in Las Playas de Las Americas, said life in Tenerife has become "tough" in recent years.

Speaking about the eye-watering costs of long-term accommodations, she added: "I’m living with my boyfriend in his parents’ home because we can’t afford to move out.

"I totally get the viewpoint of the anti-tourism people, a lot of young people feel that way, the prices are crazy."

Despite many acknowledging that mass tourism is an increasing issue for Tenerife, other locals realise it is a necessary evil, as much of the economy of the island is based on it.

The frustration expressed by many locals will be publicly voiced next month.

Organisers of the protest taking place on April 20 - many of whom are groups focused on safeguarding the environment - will protest under the slogan "The Canary Islands have a limit. For a change of the model!

Their aim is to highlight how in their opinion the current tourism model has "overwhelmed" the island.

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Tourism produces about 8% of global emissions and accelerates habitat loss and pollution; COVID‑19 slowdowns cut emissions and aided wildlife.

Title:

Content: Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
I'm sorry.
Mohamad Elbaz
Editor-in-Chief
Wael Lotfy
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
I'm sorry.
Mohamad Elbaz
Editor-in-Chief
Wael Lotfy
The Guardian: Tourism contributes significantly to the climate crisis
It is a terrible paradox of the climate crisis that some of the most beautiful – and popular – places in the world are also the most vulnerable, especially as most of them have poor infrastructure, which means that with rising temperatures, increasing weather extremes, drying up water sources and the death of natural habitats, these places face another devastating loss, especially tourists.
Tourism contributes significantly to the climate crisis – around 8% of global emissions – and hordes of visitors cause many problems, including excessive development and degradation of natural areas.
The revenue generated by tourists can bring enormous economic benefits to these destinations, and many do not own other forms of industry or otherwise rely on extractive industries such as mining or logging.
She added that tourism can also spread awareness of environmental problems, such as bleaching coral reefs or endangered animal species, and provide funding for conservation efforts.
This complex relationship was highlighted during the coronavirus outbreak, when tourism stopped, carbon emissions dropped, wildlife flourished, and leatherback turtles in Thailand laid the largest number of eggs in two decades, but all this has come at a cost, with the global tourism industry taking a heavy toll, triggering an emergency in developing countries, families struggling to find food, illegal logging in some places has increased, and overfishing has increased.
As the rebuilding of tourism begins, it has become impossible to ignore that the future of the industry is inextricably linked to the climate crisis.
Instead of becoming a major cause of the climate crisis, tourism can be used to raise awareness, increase tourism resources and improve infrastructure.

Vietnam’s tourism generated 55,000 tons of plastic waste in 2019, projected to reach 340,000 tons by 2030.

Title:

Content: Holidays in Russia
Personal experience
Foreign countries
Lifehacks
Guidebooks
Popular country of Asia said about the imminent disaster due to garbage from tourists
The Vietnam Tourism Development Research Institute has predicted that by 2030, the amount of plastic waste generated by tourists will triple to 340 thousand tons of garbage per year.
This is reported by VnExpress.
Photo: Lenta.ruLenta.ru
Scientists estimate that in 2019, before the pandemic, the country was visited by 18 million travelers who left behind 55 thousand tons of plastic waste.
Local Vietnamese tourists threw away about 61,000 tons of plastic.
As the tourist flow to the popular Asian country grows, experts predict the imminent approach of an environmental disaster - by 2030, the figure may increase to 340 thousand tons of garbage.
“Without mitigation measures, the amount of plastic waste from tourism will triple in the next seven years.
This is a huge pressure on the environment, ” said Nguyen An Tuan, director of the Tourism Development Research Institute.
For this reason, the Vietnam Tourism Association and the Institute of Strategy, Policy and Environmental Resources have launched the project “Reducing Plastic Waste in Tourism ”.
In order to reduce the emission of plastic, it is proposed to improve the system of its classification, collection and processing, as well as to introduce an experimental ban for restaurants, hotels and attractions on products made of this material.
“Instead of giving guests two bottles of water, you can limit yourself to one.
Also, people need to join to collect water from free public taps or replenish stocks from other large bottles.
I think this will resonate with many, ” said Hoang Nhat Thanh, CEO of Au Lac.
In January, it was reported that hotels in Taiwan will stop giving visitors disposable toiletries — measures will improve the ecology of the region and significantly reduce the amount of plastic debris.

Mount Fuji, Ha Long Bay, and Koh Samui face overtourism, pollution, and resource strain; protected areas like the San Gabriel Mountains and Lake Superior report litter and ecological threats; the Ganges shows reduced flow and garbage near pilgrim and tourist areas.

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Japan 's Mount Fuji Exposed in 2024 "9 Top Places to Avoid Visiting"
Mount Fuji, Japan. (Photo, Euronews)
2023 / 12 / 10 15: 45
Li Xinjie / Editor-in-Chief
[Real-Time News / Comprehensive Report] As 2024 approaches, many people are already excited to prepare for various plans to travel abroad.
However, the well-known American travel magazine Fodor ’ s Travel (Fodor ’ s Travel) announced next year ’ s “9 Best Places to Visit in the World ”, calling on tourists to carefully consider avoiding these famous but much-needed hot spots, and mentioning that these areas are affected by environmental pollution and tourism hazards.
Among them, Mount Fuji in Japan, which Taiwanese love, is also on the list.
According to a comprehensive foreign media report, among the nine “No List ” listed by Fodor Travel on its official website in 2024, four of them are in Asia and the rest are in Europe and the United States.
According to the official website, the original intention of the evaluation is not to deliberately suppress partial generalization, but to "respect" as the starting point of the declaration, this time to open the list of avoid visits, but also focus on tourists to nine tourist attractions and dependent local communities, resulting in "excessive tourism", "excessive waste generation", "affect water resources" these three major impacts.
At the same time, Fodor Tourism also pointed out that these nine tourist hotspots are deeply affected by the "Instagram effect", because the beauty of these places is circulating around the world, causing tourism.
Finally, Fodor Tourism also calls on tourists around the world to let go of these areas when planning their 2024 travel plans, but also to be careful to protect the local environment and culture, and to respect the people and places everywhere.
Mount Fuji, Japan
The number of climbers at the site has skyrocketed in recent years, but local authorities and people have pointed out that many do not fully understand the risks involved in climbing Mount Fuji, resulting in overcrowding at the top of the sacred mountain and putting themselves at risk.
In addition, many climbers are unwilling to pay 1,000 yen (about NT $200) for safety and environmental maintenance, and even leave a lot of garbage and urine filled bottles, which can only be cleaned by volunteers, causing headaches.
Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
The local waters attract a large number of international tourists to vacation, including snorkeling, water sports and fishing activities, which also lead to the local garbage load, the waters are full of garbage and diesel, and the local government ’ s poor implementation of pollution policies, it is very easy to be avoided by operators, so that the natural ecology of the area is facing unbearable pollution.
Koh Samui, Thailand
The island has been plagued by fresh water shortages for nearly a year, and the influx of tourists has consumed up to 70% of the region ’ s precious water resources, seriously exacerbating the island ’ s freshwater shortage.
Ganges, India
The river, regarded as the source of life for the people of India, has faced problems such as reduced flow, garbage pollution, and endangered freshwater dolphins in recent years, which have been exacerbated by the emerging luxury cruise industry.
Athens, Greece
The lack of a tourism hazard management plan by the local government does not mean that the world heritage is in danger of being destroyed, but also that the traditional way of life of the local people is being destroyed by a large number of tourists.
The Acropolis has already implemented a daily visitor limit, which has been reduced from 23,000 to 20,000 per day, and the Parthenon Temple to 17,000.
Italy (Venice)
Venice has long been affected by subsidence, flooding, and the damage caused by the increasing number of tourists, adding to the stress of this ancient and fragile city, and adversely affecting the local environment and residents.
Although the local government has taken several specific measures to try to reduce tourists, including charging a tourist tax of 5 euros (about NT $171) for all visitors over 14 years old who come to the city for a “day trip ” between the end of April and mid-July next year, it is still considered unlikely to improve the problem.
San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, California
This “natural oasis ” in Los Angeles County, due to the number of tourists and lack of environmental awareness, not only is the monument graffiti by tourists, but even littering everywhere, causing the local environment to suffer a lot of damage.
Lake Superior (United States – Canada border)
Lake Superior, on the border between the United States and Canada, is the largest freshwater lake on the planet, and its ecology is now exposed to a variety of hazards due to human visits, including species invasion, rapid algal blooms, and fish consumption warnings.
Chile's Atacama Desert
The Atacama Desert, on the Pacific coast, is a spectacular natural beauty of deserts, geysers, lagoons, salt mines, cliffs and peaks, but the local environment is polluted by "fast fashion" and unfortunately becomes a landfill.
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Hotspots include Venice, Barcelona, Rome, Dubrovnik, parts of Japan, and popular islands and coasts in Spain and Southeast Asia.

Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Venice test hotel bans, rental limits, and cruise restrictions; Venice also caps group size, restricts loudspeakers, and charges an entry fee.

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“Let the tourists go home! ” – Over-sightseeing is overwhelming the residents of Europe ’ s popular cities
Lisa Stüve
14 July 2024
Many of Europe ’ s holiday destinations are expected to see record numbers of visitors this summer.
However, local residents were deeply troubled by the development of mass tourism and took to the streets to protest.
Is there a solution?
Https: / / p.dw.com / p / 4iD5I
In many of Europe's most popular tourist cities, residents began to protest against the influx of tourists.
Venice is one of them, the local residents are plagued by tourism, the city's housing prices are rising, and the number of available housing is decreasing.
Venice ’ s Old Town also has a resident population of less than 49,000, compared to an estimated 20 million tourists visiting Venice each year.
Europe has the most visitors from all over the world, and Venice isn ’ t the only city to suffer from a surge in visitors.
In Barcelona and other tourist cities in Spain, there are increasing reports of local residents protesting against tourists.
In Lisbon, Prague and Amsterdam, large-scale tourism has led to growing tensions between tourists and locals.
Residents everywhere protested for the same reasons: rising rents, soaring property prices, and problems with access to resources.
Tourism is one of the economic sources
The EU estimates that tourism accounts for about 10 per cent of the economy's total output.
About 12.3 million people are employed in the industry.
“But these are just abstract numbers, ” says Sebastian Zenker, a tourism researcher at Copenhagen Business School.
He pointed out that if rents rise at the same time, property prices exceed residents' affordability, and restaurants are affordable only to tourists, then the income from tourism will not bring real benefits to local residents.
For locals, tourism development must provide them with the balance they feel – that is, liveability is not unduly negatively affected while benefiting from tourism.
Although a large number of people are employed in the tourism industry, "only a few have a good income or can make a living from it," Zeng said in an interview with Deutsche Welle.
He said low wages were a problem.
In Italy, where there is no legal minimum wage, the minimum hourly wage is 4.85 euros in Portugal and 6.87 euros in Spain.
Big tourist tax
Where did all the money go?
Paul Peeters, who studies sustainable tourism and transportation at the University of Breda in the Netherlands, says the money is mostly going to the airline industry, large hotel chains, international companies and cruise lines.
When calculating the flow of tourism, the choice of travel mode is crucial. Cruise tourists eat and drink on board, and passengers who order through large travel agencies usually sell their tickets, hotels, and meals in packages, which tend to spend less locally.
But at the same time, the arrival of tourists brings with it air pollution and water consumption – all at the expense of local residents.
This sense of imbalance has further exacerbated tensions between locals and tourists.
All stakeholders in the tourism industry understand that they need tourists, and the question is how to develop tourism and what kind of tourism to develop.
Copenhagen tourism researcher Zeng Ke said.
Restrictive marketing, rules and bans
The first policies are in place.
For example, new hotels are no longer allowed in Amsterdam.
In addition, the city is trying to control drug and party-themed tourism through targeted restrictive marketing measures.
“De-marketing ” refers to advertising strategies designed to reduce the demand for a product from a specific target group – for example, the city of Amsterdam.
In Lisbon and Palma de Mallorca, the housing market has long been disconnected from the needs of residents and economic realities.
Response: No new rental licenses will be issued to online short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb.
Mallorca has set a time limit for tourist rental housing.
Barcelona has taken a more radical step: the city ’ s 10,000 vacation apartment permits for tourists are set to expire in 2028.
The move aims to reduce pressure on the housing market.
Rents in Barcelona have risen by more than 60% in the past decade.
In addition, there will be further restrictions on the scope of cruise activities or additional charges.
From 2021, Venice will no longer allow large cruise ships to sail into its waters in its historic center.
Amsterdam plans to adopt a similar measure in 2026.
This will not only reduce the number of tourists, but also reduce air pollution.
Are tourists bad too?
Similar to Amsterdam, Mallorca wants to shake off the image of a party city.
They hope to reduce the overall number of tourists, and will be more willing to accept those who can afford to spend.
This is known in industry jargon as “high quality tourism ”.
But is this the solution to the problem?
“It ’ s not, ” says Macià Blázquez-Salom, a geography professor and activist.
He is also a resident of Mallorca.
He believes that excessive emphasis on “luxury tourism ” will only exacerbate inequality.
“‘ Party tours ’ and ‘ beach tours ’ are often limited to specific areas and operate on a scale and standardised basis similar to factory production lines, ” Blasker-Salon told Deutsche Welle.
Its immediate impact is often limited to a small part of the city.
In contrast, tourists with high spending power typically have higher demand, consume more water, tend to travel more excursions, and generally have the financial means to purchase property.
“This will further promote gentrification (Gentrifizierung) and with it the possibility of real estate speculation, ” explains Blaske Salon.
"This type of visitor will have a direct impact on the lives of all the residents," the statement said.
Making tourism sustainable
The tourism industry is still largely driven by pure data growth and is delighted with the growing number of visitors each year.
But for residents of places like Barcelona, Venice and Mallorca, further growth is no longer an acceptable option.
Is there a solution?
Peters says keeping visitor numbers within the limits of what cities and communities can afford or as a way to do it.
He said that ecological and social factors should be taken into account when formulating tourism development strategies and management measures.
For tourism to be sustainable, agreements must be reached with airlines, ports and airport operators, which are often driven by overcapacity – that is, by expanding growth.
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Any misconduct will lead to recovery and criminal prosecution.

Cruise measures include daily passenger caps, arrival limits, and proposals for ship‑free Saturdays.

Title:

Content: The beautiful city that wants 'cruise ship free Saturdays' in crack down on tourists

Residents have demanded the introduction of a cap on visitors to combat curb overtourism rates.

Juneau residents are demanding stricter policies to limit cruise ship access to the city (Image: Getty)

Cruise lines have struck a deal with authorities in Alaska's capital amid growing frustration from residents.

City officials have agreed to introduce a cap on the number of cruise ship passengers entering Juneau from 2026.

But residents are now demanding the authorities adopt even stricter policies, including the ban of cruise ships on Saturdays, to tackle overtourism.

The agreement, finalized late last week, seeks a daily limit of 16,000 cruise passengers on Sundays through Fridays and 12,000 on Saturdays.

However, officials said that doesn't necessarily mean there will be that many people every day.

Juneau has experienced a tourism boom as travel resumed following the pandemic (Image: Getty)

Cruise passenger numbers ramped up rapidly after two pandemic-stunted years, hitting a record of more than 1.6 million passengers in Juneau last year.

The sudden increase has been fuelling tension between businesses that rely on tourism and residents who are fed up with increased traffic, busy trails and the hum of helicopters ferrying visitors to glaciers.

Cruise seasons also have gotten longer, with the first boat this year arriving in Juneau in early April and the last set to arrive in late October.

On peak days in the past, passenger numbers have totalled about two-thirds of Juneau's population of roughly 32,000 people.

A daily limit of five large ships took effect with the current season, as part of a separate agreement signed last year.

Alexandra Pierce, Juneau’s visitor industry director, said that the current agreement aims to hold cruise passenger numbers roughly steady, in the 1.6 million range.

The new agreement aims to keep the tourism rate steady and to control daily entries (Image: Getty)

Ms Pierce said: “The idea is that the agreement buys everybody time not only to see if it is sustainable but also to build the infrastructure that will help it feel more sustainable."

Karla Hart, a longtime critic of the industry, is sceptical of the new agreement, saying it doesn't do enough to address concerns many residents have that current tourism levels are unsustainable.

Ms Hart said: “It feels like we’re just getting led along again, and expansion will continue and more time will pass."

Hart is helping push a proposed local ballot initiative that would institute “ship-free Saturdays,” with no cruise ships with a capacity of at least 250 passengers allowed to stop in Juneau on Saturdays or on July 4.

The signature-review process for the proposed measure is underway. If the measure is certified, it could appear on the October ballot.

Juneau is the latest city to introduce stricter regulations on how many cruises and tourists can access the city in response to a concerning growth in tourism rates.

Spain's Palma de Majorca limits cruise ship arrivals to no more than three a day. Iceland has also capped the number of cruise passengers who can travel each day to 5,000.

Venice this year debuted its weekend €5 (£4.30) tourism tax on day trippers visiting the city centre. Visitors heading to the minor islands such as Murano and Burano will be exempt.

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Hawaii emphasizes cultural preservation, education, and capacity management to protect Native Hawaiian communities and ecosystems.

Title:

Content: Monday, July 22, 2024 78° Today's Paper

Election

2024 Election: Kaialiʻi Kahele

Name on ballot:

Kaialiʻi Kahele

Running for:

OHA Hawaii Resident Trustee

Political party:

No answer submitted

Campaign website:

www.HawaiiNotForSale.com

Current occupation:

Hawaiian Airlines Pilot

Age:

50

Previous job history:

Hawaiʻi Air National Guard Pilot, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Lecturer

Previous elected office, if any:

State Senator, U.S Representative

Please describe your qualifications to represent the Native Hawaiian community.

I am deeply honored to represent the Native Hawaiian community, and my qualifications reflect a lifetime of commitment to our people and our culture. I am a proud Native Hawaiian from Miloliʻi, South Kona, and prior to elected office, I served as the Executive Director of Paʻa Pono Miloliʻi, a native Hawaiian non-profit dedicated to preserving the cultural heritage as well as enhancing the health and well being of the Miloliʻi and South Kona community.

I have the distinct honor of being the second Native Hawaiian elected to Congress since Statehood, where I have been a steadfast champion for Native Hawaiian and indigenous rights. My work in Congress focused on advocating for policies that protected our lands, enhanced our cultural practices, right historical injustices and supported the well-being of the Native Hawaiian people.

Furthermore, my personal life is deeply rooted in our culture. My two daughters attend Ke Kula ʻo Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu in Keaʻau, a Hawaiian language immersion school, ensuring that our family remains connected to our language and traditions. This personal commitment underscores my dedication to preserving and promoting our cultural heritage and language revitalization efforts for future generations.

I beliebe these experiences and commitments uniquely qualify me to serve and represent the Native Hawaiian community effectively.

What is the most-pressing issue facing Native Hawaiians and how would you address the problem?

The primary issue facing the Native Hawaiian community is our increasing diaspora due to economic challenges, which has led to a majority of Native Hawaiians (53%) residing on the U.S. mainland rather than in Hawaiʻi. This dispersal weakens efforts to advocate for community rights. To tackle this, focusing on the following key areas is essential:

Affordable Housing: Advocating policies for more affordable housing options to help families stay in their ancestral lands.

Economic Development: Supporting sustainable job creation, especially in sectors aligning with cultural heritage like local agriculture and renewable energy.

Education and Training: Investing in vocational programs for skills necessary in high-demand local jobs, reducing the need to seek work elsewhere.

Cultural Preservation: Strengthening Native Hawaiian identity and community unity by enhancing initiatives that protect and promote Hawaiian culture and language.

Community Support: Building networks for Hawaiians outside Hawaiʻi with virtual programs and language classes to stay connected.

Healthcare Access: Improving access to quality healthcare services in rural and underserved areas to ensure the well-being of the community.

These strategies aim to enable Native Hawaiians to flourish, maintain a strong unified voice in advocacy, and ensure community preservation and empowerment.

Do you support or oppose the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Hawaii island? Please explain.

No, I do not support the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT).

The state has a constitutional duty to protect its natural and cultural resources for present and future generations. As Justice Michael Wilson’s November 30, 2018, dissent highlights, the TMT violates the constitutional and statutory protections afforded to natural resources in the state’s conservation district. This project contravenes the Hawaiʻi Public Trust Doctrine, the Hawaiʻi Constitution, and laws concerning conservation land, specifically HRS Chapter 183C.

The TMT will cause significant, adverse impacts to the existing natural and cultural resources on the proposed project site. Mauna Kea holds immense cultural and spiritual importance for Native Hawaiians, and its conservation status should be respected. No amount of compensation, mitigation, or economic benefit can legally justify the irreversible damage that would be caused. The state’s duty to protect Mauna Kea’s natural and cultural resources for future generations outweighs any potential economic benefits.

Preserving Mauna Kea’s integrity is crucial for respecting Native Hawaiian cultural heritage and ensuring the protection of this sacred site.

What do believe is the best use of OHA’s Kakaako Makai lands and do you support building residential high-rises there? Please explain.

I believe the best use of OHA’s Kakaako Makai lands should reflect the cultural, economic, and housing interests of the Native Hawaiian community. Hakuone, OHA’s planned development in Kakaʻako Makai, should prioritize cultural preservation, housing, economic development, environmental sustainability, as well as education and innovation.

In 2012, the State settled a 32-year-old debt by conveying to OHA 30 acres of land valued at over $200 million, with the understanding that residential development was included in the value. Today, OHA owns just 30 of the 221 acres in Kakaʻako Makai, which is only 14% of the total area. Of this 14%, OHA wants to develop three parcels for residential development.

Regarding building residential high rises, I support building residential high-rises in these parcels, however, it is essential that any development is carried out in a manner that respects and incorporates our cultural heritage, promotes sustainability, and benefits the community as a whole. Residential development in this area can address the housing needs of the Native Hawaiian community while also generating revenue to support OHA’s broader mission and programs.

Here are some considerations:

Impact Assessment: Conduct thorough assessments of the potential impacts on traffic, infrastructure, and local communities.

Community Input: Engage in extensive consultations with the Native Hawaiian community, the Kakaako community, area legislators and other stakeholders to ensure their voices are heard and considered.

Mixed-Use Development: If high-rises are considered, they should be part of a mixed-use development that includes cultural, commercial, and green spaces, ensuring they contribute positively to the community.

What role should OHA play in helping Native Hawaiians cope with Hawaii’s high cost of living?

OHA should play a proactive role in helping Native Hawaiians cope with Hawaiʻi’s high cost of living. One innovative approach I would like OHA to explore is implementing a guaranteed basic income program pilot project. This initiative would provide a recurring monthly payment directly to Native Hawaiian households that demonstrate a need, aiming to supplement, not replace, existing social safety nets.

During my time in Congress, I saw the positive impact of COVID-era monthly federal child tax credit payments, which essentially functioned as a form of guaranteed basic income and lifted many families out of poverty. This experience demonstrated that putting money directly into the pockets of those struggling is one of the most impactful ways to help them immediately cope with the high cost of living or weather financial challenges.

By exploring and potentially implementing a similar program in Hawaiʻi, OHA can provide direct support to struggling Native Hawaiian households, ensuring they have the resources needed to meet their basic needs and improve their quality of life.

What role should OHA play in the reshaping of Hawaii’s tourism industry?

OHA should play a significant role in reshaping Hawaiʻi’s tourism industry to ensure it balances economic benefits with the preservation of natural resources and cultural heritage. The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, which oversees destination management for Hawaiʻi, emphasizes place-based and indigenous tourism. This approach ensures visitors understand and appreciate the unique significance of Hawaiʻi, encouraging them to engage with local culture for a memorable and respectful experience.

Key areas for improvement include:

Sustainable Tourism Practices: Implementing policies that protect Hawaiʻi’s environment and natural resources is crucial. This ensures that tourism does not degrade the very assets that attract visitors.

Cultural Sensitivity: Promoting tourism that respects Hawaiian culture is essential. Native Hawaiian communities should be involved in tourism development and management to ensure their perspectives and needs are considered.

Community Involvement: Ensuring that tourism benefits local communities is vital. This can be achieved by supporting local businesses and creating job opportunities for residents, ensuring that the economic benefits of tourism are widely shared.

Capacity Management: Regulating visitor numbers is necessary to prevent over-tourism and the resulting strain on infrastructure and natural sites. This helps maintain the quality of life for residents and the quality of experience for visitors.

Education: Educating tourists about respectful behavior and the cultural significance of the places they visit fosters appreciation and understanding of Hawaiian culture. This can lead to more meaningful and respectful interactions between visitors and the local community.

By focusing on these areas, OHA can help reshape Hawaiʻi’s tourism industry into one that supports sustainable economic growth while preserving the cultural and natural heritage that makes Hawaiʻi unique.

What reforms, if any, would you propose to make OHA more transparent to the public?

Transparency within the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) is crucial for trust and community engagement. If elected, I will focus on enhancing transparency through these initiatives:

Open Communication Channels: Implement regular community meetings and virtual town halls to discuss OHA’s activities and decisions, allowing for open dialogue and feedback.

Accessible Information: Ensure all OHA documents, including meeting minutes, financial reports, and strategic plans, are easily accessible online via a user-friendly digital portal.

Financial Transparency: Introduce a comprehensive financial transparency policy with detailed quarterly and annual financial reports, clearly explaining fund allocation and spending.

Stakeholder Engagement: Establish advisory councils of community leaders and cultural practitioners to provide input on key decisions, ensuring diverse voices are heard.
Performance Metrics: Develop and share performance metrics for OHA programs, demonstrating progress and areas for improvement.

Cultural Education: Invest in educational programs to inform the community about OHA’s mission, roles, and responsibilities, fostering greater engagement and participation.

These measures will create an environment of mutual respect and accountability, ensuring
OHA remains a trusted advocate for the Native Hawaiian people.

What will be your top priority if elected?

If elected to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, my top priority will be to strengthen and reestablish relationships at the State Legislature while enhancing constituent services on Hawaiʻi Island. These efforts are essential to effectively advocate for the needs and interests of Native Hawaiians.

Strengthening relationships with the State Legislature involves fostering open communication, building trust, and collaborating on policies that benefit our community. By doing so, we can ensure that the voices of Native Hawaiians are heard and their concerns are addressed at the highest levels of state government.

Enhancing constituent services on Hawaiʻi Island means providing more accessible, efficient, and responsive support to our community members. This includes addressing their immediate needs, offering guidance on available resources, and ensuring that their issues are promptly resolved. My goal is to create a stronger, more connected, and better-served Hawaiian community.

Combining these efforts will help create a solid foundation for achieving meaningful progress and lasting positive impact for the Native Hawaiian community.

Is there anything more that you would like voters to know about you?

I would like voters to know that my commitment to service is at the core of who I am. Having served our nation as a combat veteran and a Lieutenant Colonel in the Hawaiʻi Air National Guard, I understand the importance of dedication, sacrifice, and leadership. My experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan have shaped my perspective on the value of national service and the duty we have to our communities.

In addition to my military service, I have dedicated the last eight years of my life to serving the people of Hawaiʻi as a State Senator and as a Representative for Hawaiʻi’s 2nd Congressional District. Through these roles, I have worked tirelessly to represent our community’s interests, fight for Hawaiiʻs working class families and advocate for policies that promote our well-being and cultural heritage. My goal is to continue this tradition of service, focusing on strengthening our community, preserving our culture, and ensuring that every Native Hawaiian has the opportunity to thrive.

With your support, I am committed to bringing my experience, dedication, and vision to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to make a lasting positive impact for our Native Hawaiians and those who call Hawaiʻi home.

View more candidate questionnaires or see more 2022 Hawaii elections coverage.