Have visitors finally overstayed their welcome in Hawaii?→

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Have visitors finally overstayed their welcome in Hawaii?

(CNN) — The world-famous Ha'ikū Stairs along Oahu's Ko'olau mountain range, known as the "Stairway to Heaven," has been closed to the public since 1991, but you wouldn't know that from Instagram.

And despite the $250,000 a year the Honolulu Board of Water Supply spends to keep people out of the area, roughly 4,000 hikers still access the stairs annually, to the detriment of the local residents, whose properties are trespassed, and to the board's customers, who are footing the bill.

It's one of many examples of how tourism promotion, which has historically marketed Hawaii as a playground full of escapist pleasures, has backfired. Now, Hawaii must course correct. Seeking more responsible guests, the industry is looking for a bit of restraint -- and deference.

Read the full article from CNN.

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PFW Winter News Roundup

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Lots of great sustainability action happening on Waiheke

The local community is humming with conservation, environmental protection and sustainability initiatives, mostly carried out by volunteers.  An impressive but by-no-means exhaustive list includes:

These are just the projects that have made it into the local news recently. Others continue their work quietly in the background, sustaining the community, the environment and the Waiheke spirit: the Volunteer Fire Brigade, Forest and Bird (Hauraki Gulf Branch), Native Bird Rescue, Meals on Wheels and many more.

You can find these and other Waiheke organisations right here on our ‘MAD’ (Make a Difference) website, which has been set up to help island locals who want to get more involved in the many fun activities that keep our community strong. To list your organisation , or find an organisation you’d like to engage with, click here and go MAD about Waiheke!

Does NZ need to better manage tourist numbers?

“Crowded towns, clogged roads, dangerous drivers, filthy freedom campers, congested trails: the rapid growth in tourism is causing concerns throughout New Zealand, and headaches for politicians and public alike.” In a recent North & South article Mike White investigates the growing backlash in New Zealand communities against the impacts of what they perceive as ‘overtourism’ on the health of our environment and New Zealanders’ ability to enjoy their own country.

Around the world, popular tourism destination communities are looking for ways to both protect their social as well as natural environments, while still hanging onto the economic benefits of tourism – Boracay, a tiny island in the Philippines, closed for six months to help it recover from the two million tourists it was getting each year; Maya Bay in Thailand, which featured in the movie The Beach, has been closed till 2021 because of environmental destruction; and recently Peru has further limited numbers to the wonderful Machu Picchu, not only to protect habitat for wild chinchillas, but to ensure a wonderful visitor experience. Closer to home, the Mermaid Pools near Northland’s Matapōuri Bay were closed indefinitely in April due to environmental damage from rubbish and human waste, and Queenstown’s council is seeking to introduce a 5% levy on accommodation to help address increases in waste management costs due to tourism.

With increasing community engagement and the many sustainability projects currently happening on Waiheke, we will hopefully be able to avoid extreme measures like these, and look forward to an enjoyable summer for residents and visitors alike.

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The downside of too many tourists loving New Zealand→

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The downside of too many tourists loving New Zealand

Global tourism has grown exponentially over recent decades. The cost of travel has come down. It's easy to research and organise a weekend away with a few clicks, and more people have the income to travel.

We shouldn't expect global tourism to slow. Travel is becoming cheaper and easier. In our selfie world of cheap consumer goods, travel offers a great way to break the boredom of daily life.

In New Zealand, we now get nearly 4 million visitors a year, up four-fold since 1990. Kiwis took nearly 4 million trips offshore, also up four-fold since 1990. Sometimes it's cheaper to go on a overseas trip than a local holiday.

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