Hawaii established an up to 14% tax on tourists to Hawaii: Cruise industry sues Hawaii over new its 11% ‘green fee’ tourist tax increase | Fox News
It’s an 11% state tax but counties add an additional 3%.
Visiting paradise comes with a price: 8 things to know about Hawaiʻi’s new tax
And not a surprise:
- Hawaii businesses are struggling as tourists decline
- Hawaii tourism is ‘significantly down,’ and experts are worried
- Hawaii’s Visitor Arrivals and Spending Decline in July 2025 Amid Challenges in the Tourism Sector
Hawaii, a state whose economy is dependent on tourism, has become too expensive.
Statewide, hotel rates have risen 29%, when comparing 2024 with 2019, to an average daily room rate of $365 per visitor. The prices of vacation rentals are also rising, resulting in a steep drop in demand.
The tax funds what for now is basically a climate slush fund (it’s a slush fund when they don’t yet know what they would spend it on or whether such spending would have any impact on climate)