Your next trip to Hawaii might come with a fee.
Vacation destinations worldwide are re-evaluating the role tourists play in their communities and the toll overtourism takes on limited natural resources, with some installing new fees for visitors. Hawaii, which hosted more than 9.5 million last year, is the latest to consider a tourist fee that leaders say will pay to protect beaches and prevent wildfires.
The proposed $25 flat fee—which would be collected when visitors check into a hotel or short-term rental—is working its way through the statehouse and could be approved this spring.
Now the state, home to 1.4 million residents, needs tourists as Maui recovers from the devastating Lahaina wildfires that killed at least 100 people last year. Visitor numbers have fallen in recent months, as has tourist spending compared with 2022, according to a state report.
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