A new statewide survey finds that residents’ support for tourism remains broad but has weakened, while confidence in tourism management is also low. The findings sharpen a practical question for Hawaiʻi’s destination plans: what evidence will show whether efforts to address residents’ concerns are working?
In the Spring 2026 Resident Sentiment Survey, 53% of respondents said tourism brings more benefits than problems, down from 58% a year earlier. The result ties for the third-lowest in the survey’s history; the record low was 49% in fall 2021, The Garden Island reported. The Hawaii Tourism Authority commissioned the survey, conducted by Omnitrak, which collected responses from 1,716 residents statewide between March 17 and June 14, according to the newspaper.
Residents see a gap between tourism and local priorities
Among residents who said tourism causes more problems than benefits, 75% identified disrespect for Hawaiian culture, traditions and the aina as a leading concern, according to Beat of Hawaii’s review of the survey. Across all respondents, 93% agreed visitors need more education about protecting Hawaiʻi’s natural environment and cultural resources. The review also found that 44% of residents said tourism helps perpetuate Native Hawaiian culture and language, down from 52% the previous year.
The results do not amount to a wholesale rejection of visitors. Sixty percent of residents said tourism should be actively encouraged on their island, while 67% favored diversifying the state economy by investing in industries beyond tourism. At the same time, 66% said their island is run for tourists at residents’ expense, Beat of Hawaii reported. Together, those responses point to support for tourism alongside frustration about who benefits and how its effects are managed.
The measurement question
A 2025 report by the Hawaiʻi Office of the Auditor found that HTA did not meaningfully monitor, measure or report the impacts of its destination-management efforts. That finding does not establish why residents’ views have changed, nor does it evaluate the impact of each action in the agency’s newer plans. It does, however, leave an important accountability question: how will the public be able to assess whether those efforts deliver results?
The agency’s Hawaiʻi Island destination-management page lists separate 2025 measures: 51% of residents there said tourism brought more benefits than problems, and 47% said tourism was being better managed on their island. Those island-specific figures, published by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, offer a local snapshot rather than evidence that particular plan actions changed residents’ views.
HTA told SFGATE that it developed its 2026–2028 Destination Management Action Plans after more than 30 community meetings over two years. The plans set island-specific strategies for addressing problems at tourism hotspots, the outlet reported. The survey also found that awareness of the plans fell from 45% to 38%, according to The Garden Island. The available figures do not identify which actions from the previous plans were completed or show whether residents’ input changed decisions.
The statewide survey documents residents’ current concerns; the audit highlights limits in reporting on destination-management impacts. Neither, on its own, establishes whether the 2026–2028 plans will improve sentiment. That will depend in part on whether their progress and effects can be measured and reported clearly.
