Hawaii’s state government is considering a new law that would require tourists to pay for a yearlong pass to visit parks and trails as part of an effort to offset the damage done by travelers to the coral reefs, dolphin habitats and other environmentally sensitive areas.
According to The Associated Press, Hawaiian Gov. Josh Green originally pitched a $50 fee for tourists to enter the state, following a similar model presented in Venice, Italy, and Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands to avoid overcrowding and to repair damage done to the local landscape.
While there are concerns about the legislation being unconstitutional — the document protects free travel within the United States — state Rep. Sean Quinlan said travel patterns have changed and social-media-influenced visitors are seeking obscure locations the government doesn’t have the money to manage.
“All I want to do, honestly, is to make travelers accountable and have the capacity to help pay for the impact that they have,” Green told The AP. “We get between 9 and 10 million visitors a year (but) we only have 1.4 million people living here. Those 10 million travelers should be helping us sustain our environment.”
The bill currently presented to the state’s Congress — after successfully passing through the Senate — would require travelers 15 years and older who plan to visit Hawaii’s “forests, parks, trails or other natural area on state land” to purchase an annual license online or via mobile app.
Tourists who do not possess the travel license would be forced to pay a civil fine — a five-year transition period has been built into the legislation — but state residents with proper identification would be exempt.
House Finance Committee Chair Kyle Yamashita said the bill is a work in progress and removed a measure setting the fee at $50, while state Rep. Morikawa noted the local government should compile a list of places that would require the license.
Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association CEO Mufi Hanneman supports the bill, but he voiced concerns that the money collected must be heavily monitored to avoid misappropriation.
“The last thing that you want to see is restrooms that haven’t been fixed, trails or pathways that haven’t been repaved or what have you, and year in, year out, it remains the same and people are paying a fee,” Hannemann told The AP.
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