Hawaii was the last state to be annexed into the United States. It is a series of islands in the Pacific Ocean, full of vast wildlife, diversity in people, and delectable cuisine. For many tourists, Hawaii seems like the perfect spot to vacation, however, many native Hawaiians have warned against tourism.

Millions from the U.S. visit Hawaii. In 2023, 3 million tourists visited from the west and 1.5 millions Americans flew in from the east. Not only does Hawaii receive interstate tourism, Japanese tourists account for 200,000 tourists. However with such a strong tourism economy, Hawaii still has high rates of homelessness, with 6,223 people being homeless, most who are Oahu Natives. 

Since the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy by 1893, Natives have been displaced by the rise of infrastructure constructed for tourism. Although generating billions for the Hawaiian economy, tourism does not benefit average Natives- especially when it comes to housing. The median price of a home in Hawaii is one million dollars.

The housing crisis in Hawaii can be blamed on Airbnb. Hosts, out of the state, purchase homes for short-term rentals, leaving Hawaiians with a small housing market. About 14% of Maui’s housing  accommodates vacation rentals. Although tourism is not the only cause of homelessness, it is still a major contributor. As of 2023, tourism takes up 44.7% of water usage. 

Tourism in Hawaii also hurts wildlife as it destroys coral reefs. From 2018 to 2021, researchers in Princeton University conducted a study in which they observed Instagram posts from those visiting Hawaii. They found that sites with more coral reefs were visited often. Waikiki Beach, Waimea Bay, and Shark’s Cove in Oahu were the most popular and also had the most degradation. 

Tourism in Hawaii leads to inequality, economic disparity, and environmental damage leading Natives to oppose excessive visitors in the island. Although some may argue that tourism betters the economy of Hawaii, due to the heavy reliance of visitors, the Hawaiian economy suffered under Covid.