Fight against mass tourism: Hawaii now plans entrance fee for visitors too

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A trip to Hawaii (USA) is hardly a bargain: flights, hotels, rental cars, etc. it can easily cost several thousand Swiss francs. A trip to Hawaii will soon become even more expensive. A US state is planning a new tourism tax.

According to the proposal of the responsible governor, Josh Green (54), the tax should be 25 US dollars per person, according to reports in the US media. Tourists must pay at the hotel upon arrival. In total, the US state wants to generate $68 million in additional revenue every year.

Money should flow into nature conservation: for example, it will be used to protect beaches from erosion or finance preventive measures against forest fires. The goal is to limit the spread of wildfires by using areas of land without any forest cover, called “firebreaks.”

Bali to Greece

Hawaii is just one of many destinations using new tourist taxis to combat mass tourism and its effects on the environment and nature: In the Italian lagoon city of Venice, for example, tourists will have to pay 5 euros as an entrance fee. Selected days from this year.

The Indonesian island of Bali has been charging around CHF 8.50 per person since last week. The purpose of the money is to better protect the environment and culture in Bali. Greece has been collecting a climate tax from all tourists since the beginning of this year. The amount depends on the hotel category and season. The maximum supplement is 10 euros per tourist per night. The additional money is aimed at doubling the disaster relief budget – Greece has repeatedly fallen victim to devastating forest fires. There is a similar tax in New Zealand.

Instagram excitement about Swiss lakes

Against mass tourism, littering etc. There are also examples of fees from Switzerland that aim to help against: For example, at Lake Cauma in Flims GR, a fee for entrance to the seaside resort was introduced in 2021. Entrance to the swimming pool costs an impressive 19 francs, which is intended to help combat Instagram-induced hype about Lake Cauma.

Last year Iseltwald BE on Lake Brienz had to install turnstiles on a pier that attracted attention due to the Korean Netflix series. Those who want to take photos on the pier must pay 5 francs from now on. At the same time, a fee was introduced for vehicles going to Iseltwald.

Other Swiss destinations, including mountain restaurant Äscher in the Alpstein, have also experienced social media-fuelled excitement in recent years. However, those in charge there have so far refrained from charging an entrance fee. Tourist crowds also lead to increasingly tragic mountain accidents in the Alpstein.

Hawaii’s additional tourism tax has not yet been determined: The governor’s proposal now must be approved by all responsible authorities and could go into effect as early as the spring.

Source :Blick