Taken during the lockdown.  Hawaii without tourists seemed lonely.

HAWAII NEEDS TOURISM

So, there’s a lot of stupid nonsense circulating the internet regarding locals not wanting tourists here in Hawaii.  I can tell you, for a fact, that’s 10000% fake news. The vast majority of locals, especially those with a brain, realize that it is tourism that drives the economy here.  Tourism allows me to be a professional artist without working for the entertainment industry.    Tourism creates jobs and businesses.   A simple wedding can pour tens of thousands of dollars into our economy, especially a wedding that has a large guest list.  Every activity you choose to do, every tour you take, every luau you dine at, and every restaurant you sample, and so on,  all goes towards giving a local a good living.  Not just an average living…a good living.

Dream Weddings Hawaii, just alone, supplies jobs to local flower artists, ministers, make-up artists, caterers, ministers, wedding singers, limousine drivers – and I’m just a small company.  Can you imagine how many jobs a larger company supplies?  And in many cases, these are good-paying jobs.   Hotel jobs are high-paid career positions, many union.   Waiters in Waikiki make close to six figures.

During covid, we spent close to one year without any tourist industry, and our economy went into the dumpster.  Unemployment hit close to 50%, but I think was way worse.  The only people who had jobs were government workers.  And guess what?  Their paychecks were dependent on tax revenue generated from tourism. The only reason why they had jobs is that the Federal government bailed our state, who was in the hole.  Well, while those government workers had it good, for the vast majority of us depended on tourism, found ourselves in the bread line – literally.  Yup, I was waiting for food!

What a bunch of bullshit.

During the lockdowns, we saw what it was like without tourism.  Restaurants, retail stores, hotels, to hundreds of small businesses were on the verge of going out of business.  Now that we’re open, these dumbos want tourism to stay away?  I’m really scratching my head here.

What I expect is that there is a small, yet vocal crowd on social media, that are most likely still living off of unemployment, who are telling tourists to “stay home.”  It’s not the majority.

For the record, their mantra is stupid and inaccurate.

And for the record, a second time, their stance infuriates me because they apparently don’t what it’s like to go broke from not have tourists in Hawaii…

Let me make one thing clear.  If tourists cancel their trip to Hawaii, I literally won’t have a home to come home to because I can’t pay the bills.    If there are no tourists in Hawaii, what type of job do I get?

I’m a true local.  I have generations of family here.   I have a generation of friends here.  And I don’t know of one soul who wants tourists to stop traveling to Hawaii.  Not one.

If you’re thinking about having a wedding here, please, come on down.  Ignore the social media noise.  Trust me, you’ll be welcomed with open arms.