Resentment against tourists in Hawaii?

I have heard from friends living in Hawaii that there is some ill will and resentment towards mainlanders and tourists and I just wondered if anyone had any negative experiences with locals. Are there any areas to avoid? Thanks--

Resentment against tourists in Hawaii?

doggar,

I think it%26#39;s a generalized frustration with a local government that keeps promoting tourism no matter what - whether the money stays here, whether it%26#39;s at the expense of our views %26amp; environment, whether it%26#39;s even feasible to have more tourists without ruining their good time too. It%26#39;s more a sense of resentment that our needs aren%26#39;t addressed and instead our monies and resources are constantly spent to promote tourism. I don%26#39;t know if you%26#39;ve seen the vacation rental debate on this board, but that%26#39;s one example of Hawaii%26#39;s neighborhoods being coopted for the pleasure of tourists %26amp; money going to only a select few people who promote the activity. Same with tour groups who take groups to spots that locals go to for privacy %26amp; to get away.

I don%26#39;t think it%26#39;s a resentment toward people who come here on vacation. We appreciate that tourists are not to blame and that they%26#39;re travelers who are here because they like it. And there is still a feeling of aloha, that it%26#39;s not just what the person stands for but that they%26#39;re people too, who should be shown kindness and aloha.

I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;re welcome here.

Resentment against tourists in Hawaii?

i was in maui a month ago and there is definitely a ';you don%26#39;t belong here'; attitude amongst the locals. i%26#39;ve never encountered such rudeness and arrogance in all my travels. they need to accept the fact that hawaii is a state and get over it.

doggar,

We just returned and I must say that we were only in Hawaii for 10 days, but everyone we met was very nice. I thought the locals were all friendly to us. I felt no animosity from anyone.

C...

Excellent response! You eloquently and concisely expressed the local/resident perspective. Nice job.

...even if I might beg to differ on some of the finer economic impacts of tourism.

Similarly, ';kimi'; provided a brief and insightful response typical of the visitor perspective as well.

Never in the history of posting have so few spoke so much for so many. That about covers this subject.

Quite possibly some do not accept the fact they are a state since the vote to even consider it was how shall I say it....perhaps fixed?

I think it%26#39;s where you are on the islands to find attitude towards tourist$.

I have some friends that work in Waikiki who just lately (after 10 years or so) were able to afford a place near Waikiki. It%26#39;s still an apartment though that they have to share. They have never lived in a house. The median house price in Oahu is $650,000.

I was wondering why you chose this question for your second post? Did you have a bad trip to Hawaii last time?

I%26#39;ve found that it depends on the island and where on that island you are. I%26#39;ve run into some rudeness/resentment in Hilo, never in Volcano, haven%26#39;t been to Kona in years. Never on Maui. In fact, a local at Hana Ranch told me not to go into the bathroom because the floor was wet. When I told her I was kama%26#39;aina, not tourist, I got a huge smile and a big hug. I think Oahu is the worst, especially outside of Waikiki, although I found locals plenty friendly even on the Leeward Coast. Some resentment surfaced around Waimanalo.

I%26#39;ve never experienced anything but aloha on Kaua%26#39;i (except for my wacko neighbor.)I%26#39;ve been adopted as a cousin by a complete stranger and had great conversations in places like the checkout line in WalMart.

I%26#39;ll LYK about Moloka%26#39;i in May. I%26#39;m not expecting any problems.

I can only speak from my experience with the people of Kauai, who were absolutely wonderful. The locals were the nicest people my husband and I have ever come across in our travels. We felt very welcome and talked with locals every day, whether in the grocery store, on the beaches, or just walking around the towns. The warm, welcoming feelings we experienced are one of the main reasons we%26#39;re returning to Kauai this year.

We have never had a problem with locals on Oahu, Maui or the Big Island, we have more problems, as I have mentioned before..with rude tourists...

Part of what you get is what you expect. The other part of what you get is learning to deal with it.

In general, I find people are nice almost everywhere (funny ... I was recently having this same conversation about France...)

After living in HI and visiting there on a number of occasions, I can say that I generally find that wherever you are, the Aloha spirit will prevail.

That being said, there are a few bad apples in every bunch. But hey, I%26#39;m in Hawaii to enjoy myself. If someone else wants to have a bad day, fine with me. But they will have a very hard time trying to ruin mine.

I agree with the comment about the rude tourists ... definitely more of an issue than rude locals!