‘Our state … needs the money’: Hawaii lawmakers vote to impose ‘first of its kind’ tourism ‘green fee’ to cover mounting costs of climate change — what the 0.75% hike will mean for tourists

In 2023, wildfires tore through Maui, devastating the town of Lahaina, a popular resort town. The new “green fee,” as the release puts it, is in part a response to that tragic fire, which meteorologists and climate researchers attributed to a number of environmental causes.

“We had a $13 billion tragedy in Maui and we lost 102 people. These kind of dollars will help us prevent that next disaster,” said the governor in an interview referenced by NBC News.

The new tourism tax

Hawaii already taxes tourist lodgings at a rate of 10.25% for hotel stays, timeshares, vacation rentals and other short-term accommodations. In addition to this, the counties in the state add a 3% lodging tax and 4.712% excise tax on goods and services.

The governor feels that the additional 0.75% will likely not deter tourists from vacationing in Hawaii, noting that the tax will go towards efforts like “keep[ing] the beaches perfect” and preserving many of the natural sites that tourists flock to, NBC News says.

“The more you cultivate good environmental policy, and the more you invest in perfecting our lived space, the more likely it is we’re going to have actually lifelong, committed travelers to Hawaii,” he told the Associated Press.

NBC reports Green also said he heard from thousands of people across the U.S. after the Maui wildfire, asking how they could help. He says that visiting the state and paying the additional 0.75% tax is a significant way they can.

Response from the hotel industry

Jerry Gibson, president of the Hawaii Hotel Alliance, has a balanced and hopeful response to the new tax, saying that the industry was pleased lawmakers adopted the tax rate that was initially proposed, and didn’t opt for a higher rate.

“I don’t think that there’s anybody in the tourism industry that says, ‘Well, let’s go out and tax more.’ No one wants to see that,” he told NBC. “But our state, at the same time, needs money.”

He also noted in his interview with NBC that using the money to beautify Hawaii’s environment is a silver lining for the tourism industry.

Climate change in Hawaii

The state of Hawaii reports that tourism to its coral reefs brings in $385 billion each year. However, rising temperatures are bleaching the reefs at an alarming rate. If carbon emissions continue unchecked, coral reef loss in Hawaii will result in an economic loss of up to $1.3 billion per year by 2050, according to the state’s projections.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported in 2016 that Hawaii’s Waikīkī Beach brings in $2 billion per year in visitor spending alone. However, the report noted that shoreline erosion is threatening Hawaii’s beaches and adding to the likelihood of natural disasters.

The EPA reported that the sea level has risen between two and eight inches on Hawaii’s shoreline since 1960. In the last 100 years, erosion has affected more than 70% of Kauai and Maui’s beaches. This erosion not only destroys natural habitats for animals, but also makes high waves, hurricanes, tsunamis and extreme tides more likely and more devastating.

A government report from 2023 also noted that sea level rise is projected to cost the state $19 billion in loss of land and structures, not counting the possible damage to infrastructure or the costs of supporting citizens after natural disasters.

The need to raise funds to protect Hawaii is only growing. The governor has maintained that the state’s 10 million annual visitors should help protect the environment, according to NBC.