People on Kauai are trying to get control of the numbers of tourists that crowd “lonely” roads, pack “undiscovered” trails and swarm “secluded” beaches. They’re also trying to manage the behavior of tourists, because as we all know, a smaller number of tourists can be as damaging as a massive crowd if they’re acting like idiots.
So community leaders have come up with the “Aloha Pledge,” which is a list of do’s and don’ts wrapped in the woke language of the enlightened world traveler.
Among the promises visitors are asked to make:
I will remember I am a guest here and that others are not on vacation.
I will stay in legal and licensed visitor accommodations.
I will stay off the reef.
I will only use “reef safe” sunscreens.
I will look for welcoming signage to let me know whether an area is public. If none is visible I will not intrude.
I will buy flowers and produce from the store or a farmers market and never pick from someone’s yard.
I will clean and decontaminate all footwear and hiking gear with 70% alcohol or 10% bleach solution to prevent both rapid ohia death and other invasive species from spreading.
I will protect special places by never geotagging when using social media.
I will pick up my trash.
The first reaction might be, “Yeah, right. This has as much teeth as the ‘I’m not packing a snake’ form they make you sign on the plane. More better to link arms and block the road.” Kauai does have a history of effective community-based linking-and-blocking resistance to tourism’s invasion. But if you look at this as a tool, a reminder of what is right rather than a purity pledge meant to be gleefully broken, it could be an effective starting point to tell tourists that they’re lucky they get to visit Kauai and that part of the price of their vacation is minding their manners.
Meanwhile the Island of Hawaii Visitors Bureau, along with the County of Hawaii, last year busted out the “Pono Pledge,” which is similar to the Kauai pledge, which is being distributed by the Kauai Visitors Bureau. Some highlights:
I will mindfully seek wonder, but not wander where I do not belong.
I will not defy death for breathtaking photos, or venture beyond safety.
Molten lava will mesmerize me, but I will not disrupt its flow.
I will not take what is not mine, leaving lava rocks and sand as originally found.
I will heed ocean conditions, never turning my back to the Pacific.
When rain falls mauka, I will remain high above ground, out of rivers and streams.
It would be amazing if these lists were somehow enforceable so that tourists could be fined for infractions and booted for causing harm, but the first step is admitting that there’s a problem. Who ever thought they’d see the day when island visitors bureaus would be siding with locals in trying to mitigate the negative effects of tourism? Wow. That’s when you know tourism has really gone rogue.
Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.
