This report has been cataloged as follows: Hawai`i. Dept. of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Planning for sustainable tourism; project summary report. Honolulu: 2006. 1. Tourism-Planning-Hawaii. 2. Tourism-Government policy-Hawaii. 3. Sustainable development-Hawaii. G155.H3.H32.2005 Planning for Sustainable Tourism: Summary Report TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................6 Project Organization and Goals ................................................................................................................ 6 Key Project Accomplishments................................................................................................................... 7 Major Findings about Tourism Impacts and Constraints on Tourism........................................................ 8 Modelling Study......................................................................................................................................... 8 Socio-Cultural & Public Input Study .......................................................................................................... 9 Infrastructure and Environmental Studies ............................................................................................... 11 Framework for Managing Tourism .......................................................................................................... 12 Sustainable Tourism Framework vs. “Tourism Carrying Capacity”......................................................... 12 A Vision for Sustainable Tourism in Hawai`i ........................................................................................... 13 Proposal for a Sustainable Tourism Management System..................................................................... 13 Summary of Major Recommendations.................................................................................................... 14 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................17 Focus on New Information & Policy Tools .............................................................................................. 17 Goals and Objectives .............................................................................................................................. 17 Project Components................................................................................................................................ 18 Related Study.......................................................................................................................................... 18 Study Area............................................................................................................................................... 18 Organization and Supervision ................................................................................................................. 18 Timeline................................................................................................................................................... 18 Key Project Accomplishments................................................................................................................. 19 The Project Reports ................................................................................................................................ 20 PART I HOW TOURISM IMPACTS HAWAI`I.....................................................................21 Size, Scope and Evolution of Tourism.........................................................................................21 Dominance of Tourism in Hawai`i’s Economy......................................................................................... 21 Projections for Tourism Growth............................................................................................................... 22 Tourism’s Evolution ................................................................................................................................. 24 Tourist Towns vs. Planned Resorts ........................................................................................................ 25 Emerging Tourism Trends....................................................................................................................... 25 How Tourism Impacts the Economy and Infrastructure ............................................................26 Hawaii Sustainable Tourism Modeling System....................................................................................... 26 Overall Economic Impacts of Tourism .................................................................................................... 26 The Impact of Visitor Expenditures ......................................................................................................... 27 Tourism Impacts on the Infrastructure .................................................................................................... 29 Effects of the Visitor Mix.......................................................................................................................... 32 How the Economy Adjusts to Changes in Tourism................................................................................. 34 What if Visitor Growth Stopped? The Impacts of No Visitor Growth...................................................... 34 What if We Cannot Supply Labor for Tourism Growth?.......................................................................... 35 How Does Tourism Affect In-Migration? ................................................................................................. 36 Long-Range Growth Scenarios............................................................................................................... 38 Projection Caveats .................................................................................................................................. 38 Tourism Growth Rates and the Standard of Living .................................................................................39 Long-Run Impact of Tourism on Infrastructure ....................................................................................... 40 Growth Impacts by County...................................................................................................................... 41 County Infrastructure Capacities and Alternative Growth Scenarios.......................................43 Water Resources..................................................................................................................................... 43 Solid Waste ............................................................................................................................................. 44 Transportation ......................................................................................................................................... 47 Highways................................................................................................................................................. 47 Air ........................................................................................................................................................... 48 Harbors.................................................................................................................................................... 48 Growth Impacts on Accommodations ..................................................................................................... 48 Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism April 2006 Planning for Sustainable Tourism: Summary Report 4 Impact of Tourism on Hawai`i’s Social and Cultural Resources...............................................49 Historical Issues Regarding Tourism ...................................................................................................... 50 Contemporary and Emerging Socio-Cultural Issues............................................................................... 50 Tourism and “Spillover Effects,” Crime, and Housing .............................................................................52 Tourism “Spill-Over” into Resident Daily Lives........................................................................................ 52 Tourism Effect on Crime in Hawai`i......................................................................................................... 52 Tourism and Housing Costs.................................................................................................................... 53 Resident’s Attitudes and Concerns about Tourism.................................................................................54 Attitudes on Emerging Tourism Issues ................................................................................................... 54 Visitor Industry Jobs and Tourists ........................................................................................................... 54 “Sustainability” and Product Quality ........................................................................................................ 54 Rating the Visitor Industry & Government............................................................................................... 54 Overall Attitudes on Visitor Industry Growth ........................................................................................... 55 Tourism Overload...................................................................................................................................