The end of the middle-class traveler in Hawaii is near | Hacker News Reader

The end of the middle-class traveler in Hawaii is near

sfgate.com

36 pointsrblion14 comments

all examples of price increases in that article, I could easily apply to my groceries, clothes, marketplace health insurance, restaurants, pet care costs and just about everything I buy everyday (surprisingly price of gasoline has been somewhat of an exception). In 2021 while i was consulting my monthly health insurance via NYS marketplace was $405/mo, the one I just got was $629/mo

So yeah... If what that article about "pricing out middle-class" is true, how about we increase its scope beyond Hawaii.

Let's just go ahead and say middle-class (and how about everyone who middle-class believes is below them) is priced out of life in general, including that Hawaii vacation.

You are right. I posted this partially because I live on Kauai, am working on a solution, and just to see what others thought.

This is definitely bigger than just Hawaii.

I feel very fortunate to have been able to attend a local Hawaiian resident’s wedding in Waimea, Kauai this past summer. As we stayed on the south-side, we mostly enjoyed our simpler accommodations while only seeing the Sheraton et. al. from the beach. We made one day trip north of Lihue and were turned off when we saw tourists at a plaza watching the dads get called up to hula and put flowers in their hair as a gag. So I understand the big resorts may be becoming unachievable, but perhaps there is hope it will open some people’s eyes to more authentic experiences.

This makes it sound you consider it a problem.

IMHO, less tourism is almost always a positive.

The problem I'm solving isn't just relating to tourism. It's much bigger and beyond Hawaii too. This is just the perfect place to test what I'm building.

I don't understand the narrow field of view of this article when it fails to talk about Hawaii as a place that became unaffordable to its own people, after being colonized in literally the author's father's era.

"Too expensive for middle class tourists" - really? Shut up.

I have to agree here

I used to go to Oahu for work once or twice a year and it was really depressing.

The whole city was drunk white tourists from the Midwest or tourists from Japan and Australia. Beaches were packed and full of trash and the “tiki bars” were all the same alcoholic slush drinks you see on bourbon street or in the florida redneck riviera.

The rest of the islands are beautiful but either owned by giant rich plantation owners or giant rich moguls.

This is a good thing. Social media has made visiting Hawaii a horrible experience for both the visitors and the locals. People are very misinformed, and even this article reeks of it. However, if it discourages people who get their information from social media to visit Hawaii, then I'm for it.

I agree. It's overcrowded in places that are not built to handle that many people. The resentment between locals and tourists is growing, also between locals and people who move here with a lot of money and don't add any value to the community but demand a lot from everyone else.

Or maybe there are just more high-income people than there used to be? More people in the upper ranges of the middle class? The author cites rising hotel prices, but there are the same number of hotel beds. Meaning just as many people are staying, they're just paying more to do it.

No, I live on Kauai and Maui before this. The Hawaii Tourism Authority runs ads on the radio for 'sustainable travel' and they want fewer people here paying more to curb overtourism and crowding, damage to parks.

I agree with them. I posted this to just see what others thought.

It's interesting how many people I meet from the tech world that move out here or vacation here often. I don't want to leave but would do some extended trips to places on my list for sure and always come back to one of the islands.

The end of the middle class is here. Latifundia perdidere Italiam.

wrong!

so saddly, terribly, wrong.

the labels have stayed, but they mean different things now, but with a new addition. "first class" means you are too poor to own a jet, and "flying private" is the new indicator for immeasurable wealth. Listen closely and you will hear the bitter complaints of poor service and total debaucles formerly assosiated to "budget" travel, now bieng voiced by people paying an extra $3000 to fly "first" class. now it's back of the jet for all of us "riding da bus", up front for the desperate to impress, and the money, only see's other money, somewhere else.

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