Tourism: Hawaii’s blessing and curse

Hawaii is a beautiful, serene and ideal spot for many USD students to visit, but an imperative question arises: are we welcomed guests? 

For many years prior to the influx of a tourist based economy, indigenous Hawaiians flourished without being dependent on revenues derived from tourism. In order for USD students to see tourism from the islanders’ perspective, we must first analyze the history behind the development of Hawaii as a tourist economy. 

Before its addition to the United States, Hawaii was subjected to imperialism, which is an exploitation of people, resources and land. After the United States illegally overthrew the Queen Liliuokalani in 1893, we claimed ownership of the island in 1894. 

The overthrow of Hawaii completely changed its economy from one which was self-sufficient to one that was a hostage economy. According to “Hawaiian Journey” by Joseph G. Mullins, prior to tourist exploitation, Hawaii’s economy relied on pineapple and sugar production, yet in recent years the profits derived from such production account for only a fraction of the island’s economic sustainability. 

The amount of tourism on the island per year brings forth the vast majority of the island’s revenue, yet Hawaii cannot sustain such a tremendous amount number of tourists, creating a severe dilemma. In order for sustainability of the island to exist into the future, then tourism must be reduced to a quantity that is less than it is today. 

One can see the beautiful pictures of resorts and beaches in Hawaii, but may not comprehend the state of economic distress Hawaiians are in. People are not typically made aware of the amount of homeless people who have jobs, but receive such low wages from their work that they cannot afford a home. People don’t see how so much tourism can be insulting to the indigenous people of the island. 

Yes, hulas and luaus are fun for many visitors to Hawaii, but they are also sacred to the people of the land and reserve a higher meaning and appreciation. Even at USD, the luau could come off as offensive to some Hawaiian students. 

After interviewing Keanu Gututala, a Hawaiian student and native to the island, he said, “I was extremely disappointed because it made people culturally blind to what a luau actually represents in Hawaii. There was no aspect of the luau that actually represented a true luau.” 

I saw this with the food and music. At a recent USD event, the DJ played rap and mainstream music as opposed to the genre of music that is true to the island. The food was sushi and pulled pork which you would not find at a real luau. 

This is an exact example of the misconception some possess of true Hawaiian culture at our school. 

As previously stated, tourism does bring in most of Hawaii’s revenue, so it is not all bad. 

In a sense, Hawaii could not last in the long run without it, yet one might want to consider the idea proposed by Haunani-Kay Trask, author of “Lovely Hula Hands: Corporate Tourism and the Prostitution of Hawaiian Culture”, in which a quota on the amount of tourists allowed in Hawaii per year is established. 

Often, travelers see an inauthentic Hawaiian culture that has been expressed at our school. It is a cultural ruination in the sense that those who get exposed to the culture of the land exist only to lure tourists in to earn money. 

At this point in time there are actually fewer native Hawaiians living on their land than tourists and foreigners. Most of those natives that do live on the land are not receiving all this money for the use of their culture, and are receiving little money for other people’s perception of the Hawaiian culture. On any given day there are at least 148,750 tourists present on the island. USD students often talk about visiting the island, whether it is for vacation or school. 

No matter what purpose, any student at this school who ends up going should take some time to think about the true identity of Hawaii’s people and the reason why Hawaii is a tourist economy today.