Hawaii Tour Guides

18/12/2021

Here is how the new law is going affect tourism on Oahu.
https://youtu.be/LQvhHGLSh5g

16/11/2021

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/11/15/hawaii-news/placement-of-barriers-crosswalks-at-laniakea-beach-is-criticized/?HSA=4d236404246e7cf2331d47e6e977bce92cddfdc4&fbclid=IwAR0UmuTVn7eNT2BmD4UlPBkn0zGQ31JC_rZcF2vMV-X86gK0Z9mwlqWCs04

As he drove past Laniakea Beach on Friday, state Sen. Gil Riviere checked out the new crosswalks, roadside barriers and signage added by the state Department of Transportation to the stretch of Kamehameha Highway, where the community has long complained of traffic bottlenecks.

23/10/2021

This is "Twogood Kayaks-Kailua Beach Park, 10-20-21" by Hawaii DLNR on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

07/10/2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imSBtDzC3zE

HONOLULU (KHON2) -- A bill to tax visitors to Oahu is moving forward in the Honolulu City Council. The 3% tax will help to fill county funds after losing out...

01/09/2021

The 7-day average for Arrivals to Hawaii is 20,225 people per day.
For the same period in 2019, it was 31,041 people per day.
This is down 34.8% from 2019, or just 65.2% of what it was in 2019.

20/08/2021

City Council is at it again. Bill 34 (2021) is a repeat of Bill 2 (2018) which did not pass.
However, Bill 34 has already passed First Reading and is coming up in City Council again on August 26th.
A Bill becomes law after passing Third Reading and being sent to the Mayor to sign.

This Bill would ban commercial activities from "Sunset Beach Park, Haleiwa Beach Park, and Haleiwa Alii Beach Park", and all city owned or operated beach rights-of-way and easements from Sunset Point to Kaiaka Point in Waialua. That's 8 miles of coastline from Sunset Beach through Haleiwa. This language is being added to the City Ordinance that already bans all commercial activities from Waimanalo Beach Park, Kaiona Beach Park, Kaupo Beach Park, Makapuu Beach Park, and Bellows Feild Beach Park, and all city owned or operated beach rights-of-way and easements from Lanikai to Kapoho Point (Castle Point). That's basically all of Kailua, All of Waimanalo, and now they want to ban them from all of the North Shore.

This Bill is kind of a moot point after they passed the Parks Rules back in September. The new rules are so restrictive that it makes getting the permit that allows commercial stops at City Beach Parks not worth even trying to get.

It used to be that if I got a Parks Permit for Commercial Stops that that permit was good for all of my tour vans for that month to stop at any of the City Beach Parks, after providing proof of Commercial Insurance with coverage of One Million Dollars, with the City and County as an Additionally Insured. This permit was limited to 5 tour companies per month.

Under the new rules, they have divided the island up into 5 districts, and a permit is now only good for 1 of my tour vans to be able to do a Commercial Stop only in that 1 specific district. None of my other tour vans would be able to do a commercial stop in that same district. And again, this is limited to 5 tour companies per district.
The North Shore is in District 4 which runs from Makapu'u Point, along the windward coast line and the north shore to Kaena Point. So, District 4 covers half of the coastline of the island. But they can only issue 5 permits for that district, to 5 different tour companies, who then can only have 1 of their tour vehicles do a commercial stop in that district for that month. So that's a total of only 5 vehicles that are allowed to do a commercial stop in that district for that month.
So, banning commercial stops, in the way that Bill 34 is trying to do is pretty pointless, as long as the new Park Rules that was passed in September are enforced. (But that is the problem; nobody enforces these rules. Even if this Bill is passed, nobody is going to be there to enforce it.)

On July 1st, I went to the Parks Department to try to get the permit for Commercial Stops, as I had done in the past before the new rules were passed, and after hearing how restrictive the new rules were, I ended up walking out without applying because the permit would be practically useless. I would have to choose only 1 of my tour vans to allow their customers to stop at a City Beach Park?! That's ridiculous. How do I tell 1 family, you can, but have to tell these other families you can't?!

Actually, I had went to the Parks Department office at the end of June, and at that time, they couldn't even explain the new rules to me, they said that they didn't know how the rules work, because nobody had tried to apply yet. Actually, the owner of another tour company told me in June that he had tried, but like me, once hearing how restrictive the new rules were, he walked out without applying. The person at the Parks Department that was trying to answer my questions said, Look, you gotta understand, We didn't make these rules, they were pushed on us by the City Council.

Btw, the other 4 of the 5 districts that they divided the island into, are not desirable to get a permit for. District 5 is Waipio Peninsula in Waipahu. District 1 is Aina Haina, District 2 is Kaka'ako, and District 3 is Waianae. District 4, which covers the entire Windward coast and the entire North Shore would be the most desirable district, and that is divided into only 5 permits for only 5 vehicles, 1 vehicle per tour company.

But I don't think that the people that are passing this bill even know all this.

Tour companies are already banned from all State Parks, so we are not allowed to go to Malaekahana beach, Kahana Bay beach, Kaena Point, both North Shore and West side, Keaiwa state park, La'ie Point state wayside, Ulupo state wayside, Pu'u O Mahuka state park, Pu'u Ualaka'a state park (Tantalus lookout), etc...

We're not allowed into 2 of the 4 botanical gardens maintained by the City, Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens, and Koko Crater Botanical Gardens.

Out of the 34 hiking trails that are maintained by the Na Ala Hele Trail & Access Program, Commercial tour companies are only allowed on 7 of them if they have the permit from DLNR.

Then they banned us from all of the beaches in Kailua, and then they banned us from all the beaches in Waimanalo. Together, Kailua and Waimanalo, that made 10 miles of coastline off limits. With the exception of Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, thanks to Bill 93 (2017) which allowed for up to 5 tour vans, if you pay $165 per van, per month for the permit. But they're trying to take that away as well with Bill 77 (2020).

People complain that places like beaches are too crowded, and they blame it on tour companies.
If you look at the vehicles that are at these places, only a small percentage of them are tour vehicles. Most of them are rental cars or private cars and trucks driven by local residents. As we know now that the results of the most recent Census has been released, the population of this island is now over 1 million people. Most of the vehicles at these sites are Toyota trucks, Camry's, Lexus, etc..., not rental cars, or tour vehicles. So you can't blame all of this on tourism.

But you can see how with all the restrictions that I showed above, how that confines tour companies into a smaller area which of course makes those areas seem crowded, because that the only places that they can go to.

If tour companies were less restricted, they would be spread out more, and places wouldn't seem so crowded.

Also, these rules just drive people underground, to give illegal tours, in illegal vehicles, which are probably not on Commercial Insurance, and not registered with the PUC, or DOT, and not paying taxes.

You think that you are helping, but you are creating a bigger problem.

People who want to go to these places that tour companies are not allowed to go to, are just going to get a rental car, and go on their own, with no guide to keep them safe, or to tell them to pick up their trash, or to tell them to not climb on sensitive sites, etc...

We should be encouraging tourists to go with a guide. Not only does this keep them safe, and our island safe, but it also creates jobs for locals.

Here is a copy of the new bill. The new proposed changes are the Underlined sections and words.

https://hnldoc.ehawaii.gov/hnldoc/document-download?id=11624

20/08/2021

RESOLUTION 21-186 – RELATING TO COMMERCIAL SURFING. Requesting
the Department of Parks and Recreation to amend its rules to require commercial
surfing instruction permits to be site specific, and to increase enforcement of
commercial surfing activity at City Beach Parks.

https://hnldoc.ehawaii.gov/hnldoc/document-download?id=11723

10/05/2021

It just takes one bad tour driver to give all the rest a bad reputation.
A friend of mine told me the other day, Man, those drivers for Nui Tours are being real A-holes. And he told a story about how the driver was repeatedly honking his horn at the Mac Farm to get his customers to come load up the bus.
So today, a tour bus from Nui Tours, makes an illegal left turn across the double yellow lines to get into Windward mall, and then goes to make the left turn to go to the Malasada truck. There was a car waiting on a parking spot and the back of the car was partially blocking the isle that the big 25 passenger tour bus wanted to go down. So the tour driver started honking his horn, over and over and over. This lasted for about 2 minutes. When the tour bus finally got by this car, he sped through the parking lot, turned the wrong way up a one way isle, cut across 3 isles and then parked across 5 parking spaces. There was about 15 people waiting in line for Malasadas while all this was going on, and I told the man from Kailua that I was having a conversation with that the tour driver was probably one of those transplants from Florida. I went over to the tour bus to talk to him about what a scene he had caused, and it turned out he was local, and of course he called me a Haole. I commented back about him using racial slurs, I looked up and 2 black women were getting off of his bus, and their eyes got real big. My friend also commented about how the buses from this company have been pulling up to Fumis Shrimp and letting their people out, right in front of where you order, and then not even bothering to go park, just leaving their bus right in front. Turns out it's the same guy.

14/04/2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnBMMxizCfE

Tourism is ramping back up just as House Bill 862 could cut the Hawaii Tourism Authority's budget and some of its key programs.

14/04/2021

Hawaii politicians this year have sought to crack down on tourist buses that illegally take up rows of parking spots, block residential driveways and drop visitors off in locations coveted by locals,

26/03/2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlvJ20-GAi8

The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) issued 93 citations for trespassing on state property and made six arrests between Sunday, March 14, and Tuesday, March ...

24/03/2021

Urgent Update! There will be a critical public hearing tomorrow (Tuesday) on two key measures our community should weigh in on.

I'm proposing a new draft of HB 434 to help address helicopter safety and noise issues which I am hearing in my committee this Tuesday. The proposed draft I am introducing requires helicopter tour companies to report data about where and when they are flying so we can track their flights and ask the FAA to address where and when helicopters fly. It also requires tour companies to increase insurance policies from $2m to $10m, which is already the minimum insurance requirement elsewhere. This means insurers would require helicopters to be equipped with better tracking and safety equipment, which many aren’t now.

Two other bills to address helicopter safety and noise I helped write and heard in my committee earlier were deemed unconstitutional by our attorney general and federal agencies because federal law only allows the FAA to regulate helicopters, with almost no exception. So the state or counties cannot directly regulate where or when helicopters fly. This new draft should hopefully address these federal preemption issues but still achieve the intent of the earlier bills to require helicopter tour companies to report data and improve safety.

We are also hearing SCR 158 and SR 123, which I introduced based on our work with Congressman Case and calls on the FAA to take action on their end to better regulate helicopters. I invite anyone that may be concerned about these issues to submit testimony on both these measures.

Here's the proposed helicopter provisions of HB 434
https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2021/bills/HB434_SD1_PROPOSED_.HTM

Submit testimony on the proposed draft of HB 434 here:
https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=434&year=2021

Submit testimony on SCR 158 and SR 123 here:
https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SCR&billnumber=158&year=2021

18/03/2021

Previously printed in the Honolulu StarAdvertiser. City parks on Hawaiian Homelands must abide by different rules.

02/03/2021

Hikers and monument goers rejoice! Diamond Head State Monument (DHSM) will now be open six days a week, the City and County of Honolulu has announced.

02/03/2021

This is Hawaii's answer to everything. When they can't enforce that people behave in an area like a park, just close it down and make it illegal to be there.
This leaves the only place where you can legally be after dark is locked in your home, or in a bar.

URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION TO ESTABLISH DUSKTO DAWN PARK CLOSURE HOURS FOR MAKALEI BEACH PARK, LEAHI BEACH PARK, DIAMOND HEAD BEACH PARK, AND KUILEI CLIFFS BEACH PARK.

https://hnldoc.ehawaii.gov/hnldoc/document-download?id=9862

27/02/2021

25/02/2021

25/02/2021

Welcome to the Official Website for Waiʻānapanapa State Park Entry and Parking Reservations.

07/01/2021

Committee on Executive Matters and Legal AffairsAgendaTuesday, January 12, 20213INFORMATIONAL BRIEFING1.RELATING TO THE SAFE REOPENING OF OUTDOOR ORGANIZED SPORTS.FOR ACTION2.RESOLUTION 21-18–CREATION OF A STAKEHOLDER GROUP. Urging the creation of a stakeholder group to discuss restrictions imposed on businesses, employers, and activities under the Honolulu Reopening Strategy in response to COVID-19 pandemic.ANDRIA TUPOLA, ChairCommittee on Executive Matters and Legal Affairs

https://hnldoc.ehawaii.gov/hnldoc/document-download?id=9301

05/01/2021

The Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism updated the Visitor Statistics today to include the final day of 2020. So here's a comparison of 2020 to 2019.

In 2019, Arrivals to Hawaii was 11,409,520 people, an average of 31,259 people per day.
In 2020, Arrivals to Hawaii was 3,179,004 people, an average of 8,686 people per day, 27.8% of 2019, or down 72.2% from 2019.

02/01/2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aP9INGxgck

A daring New Year's Eve rescue saved a woman who was struggling to make it back to shore amidst a powerful swell that pounded Oahu’s North Shore on Thursday,...

30/12/2020

The 7 day average for Arrivals to Hawaii is 11,222 people per day (Dec 22 - 28). For the same time last year it was 40,882 people per day. This week's arrivals is 27.45% of last year, down 72.55% from last year.

30/12/2020

After Kauai resort bubbles lose their fizz, this new idea starts emerges that will impact Kauai tourism.

25/12/2020

The drop in tourists during the COVID-19 pandemic could give the state a chance to transform the attraction into an unforgettable natural and cultural experience.

25/12/2020

Duh!

21/12/2020

Even after enduring a collapse of the state’s economy this year, most Hawaii residents aren’t eager for a return to the 2019 tourism numbers.

21/12/2020

On Hawaii’s rural island of Kauai, where sprawling white sand beaches and dramatic seaside mountains attract visitors from around the world, local residents spent the first seven months of the coronavirus pandemic sheltered from the viral storm.

03/12/2020

03/12/2020

1. Hanauma Bay will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
2. Only 720 will be allowed into the bay each of those days, with the last entry at 2 p.m. each day.
3. All face mask mandates must be followed within Hanauma Bay.
4. Fees for nonresidents to park and enter the nature preserve has been increased to $3 for malihini parking, and $12 for entry of nonresidents older than 12 years old. Kamaʻaina and keiki under 12 remain free. Parking also remains at $1.
5. Commercial activities in all capacities will not be allowed inside Hanauma Bay. This includes taxis, shuttles, buses, and tour operators like sightseeing, snorkel, or scuba tours.
6. The City bus will not be operating within Hanauma Bay.
7. Basic facilities are operational within Hanauma Bay. This includes the showers, bathrooms, parking lot, theatre, and beach.
8. Everyone going down to the beach will be required to watch the educational video before descending. You cannot skip the video, even if you have watched it before.
9. The gift shop, food concession, snorkel and locker rental facilities will remain closed. The public must bring in their own snorkel equipment.

17/11/2020

No surprise, the Governor has extended the shutdown proclamation through December 31st.

Mask mandate has been in place since April HONOLULU – Gov. David Ige issued a 15th COVID-19 emergency proclamation that extends and clarifies the statewide mask mandate as agreed to by all four counties and the state. The proclamation states: All persons in the State shall wear a face covering ove...

14/11/2020

Here are the New Rules governing Recreational Stops that the Department of Parks and Recreation implemented as of Sep 25, 2020.

http://www.honolulu.gov/rep/site/dpr/rules/Recreational_Stops_Rules_Effective_9-25-2020.pdf

14/11/2020

https://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/economic/data_reports/special/image001.png