Kailua tourists: stay away, the Hawaii town has said. Officials in Kailua say tourists should stay away due to overcrowding, but some say tourists are welcome.
Kailua, a town in Hawaii visited by people across the globe and U.S., is considered one of the state’s top tourist destinations--with white sandy beaches. But a neighborhood board is calling on the state to stop recommending tourists to go there.
Citing the “Obama effect,” local residents have said their town is being “overwhelmed” with tourists, reported the Daily Telegraph. President Obama and his family visit Kailua every Christmas, which has caused more people to go there each year.
The neighborhood board is primarily angry with bed-and-breakfast rentals that are leased for a short period of time without permits. The officials have said the rentals deplete the town’s limited supply of homes, while inflating the costs of goods, while making property more expensive, reported The Associated Press.
“It doesn’t feel like a neighborhood when you don’t know the people there,” board member Lisa Marten told AP. “If there’s any sort of safety issue, there’s no one to ask for help because you don’t know them.”
Marten’s comments reflect sentiments held by other locals who have said they do not like having streams of new neighbors coming in.
She said two of three homes next to her home are vacation rentals, adding that renters in their 20s were “doing drugs from morning till night” earlier in the year. She claims she could smell marijuana smoke.
“I would say to them, ‘I’ve got teenagers. I’ve got very young kids. I’m trying to teach them to stay away from drugs. You must have nieces and nephews, please take it inside and be discreet,’” she told AP, adding that they didn’t listen because of medical marijuana permits.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority estimates that there are around 500 rentals for overnight stays in Kailua but only 65 have permits, reported MNN.com.
Other locals are mad that Whole Foods and other chains opened up a store in an attempt to capitalize on the tourism boom. With the increase in tourists and more businesses, a residents’ advisory board has said the average home price increased to just under $800,000.
Ikaika Anderson, who represents Kailua in the Honolulu City Council, told MNN that the neighborhood board’s recent complaints do not necessarily mean that locals have an aversion to tourism. “It’s a signal to those folks who do not live in Kailua that Kailua residents do not welcome them,” Anderson said of the board’s latest action.
