Tourists who visit Hawaii in their millions every year are facing the prospect of paying a special visitors tax to protect the “environment” they travel from around the world to experience.
AP reports Hawaii lawmakers are considering legislation that would require tourists to pay for a yearlong license or pass to visit state parks and trails.
They’re still debating how much they would charge, but the move has been flagged before.
“All I want to do, honestly, is to make travelers accountable and have the capacity to help pay for the impact that they have,” Democratic Gov. Josh Green said earlier this year.
“We get between nine 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 governor campaigned last year on a platform of having all tourists pay a $50 fee to enter the state.
Waikiki Beach is the most popular tourist spot on the island there are 26,000 hotel rooms on Oahu. Most of them are in the Waikiki area. (HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Legislators think this would violate U.S. constitutional protections for free travel and have promoted their parks and trails approach instead. Either policy would be a first of its kind for any U.S. state, the AP report sets out.
Hawaii is not the first major tourist destination that has seen fit to charge extra for its delights while penalising the very people who support the tourism industry that employs tens of thousands of local residents.
Last year Venice warned day visitors they will pay a tax they’ve been able to avoid until now by not staying overnight.
The tax, priced between 3-10 euros (around $3-$10) depending on the number of crowds, is payable online on a dedicated website.
It will provide visitors with a QR code needed for entry at the various entry points to the historic Italian centre.
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