Geographical Process Tourism Hawaii They Don\'t Know

Geographical Process "Tourism Hawaii"

They don't know what they've got!" Jack London exclaimed to his hosts, while on his first visit to Kona in 1970. "Just watch this land in the future, when they once wake up!" (Both quotes from London 1917, 229).

Eighty years later, readers of Hawaii media might well have the thought "they" had finally awakened "The Big Bang Begins" proclaimed a special report of Hawaii Investor (Wood 1987, n.p/), while Tune (1987, D1) asserted in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin that "Big Island Billions" were on the way. Both of these articles discussed the latest phase of tourism development that was sweeping over the State of Hawaii. With Waikiki, on Oahu, and the leeward coasts of Maui already heavily occupied by resort properties, it appeared that the Kona and Kohala Coasts on the Big Island of Hawaii were to have their turn. Fully imbued with the optimistic business spirit of the Reagan era, these articles completely endorsed the vast changes in the coastal landscape that were expected to occur in the near future. Hundreds of new jobs in construction, the spread of money by the tens of thousands of satisfied tourists, the boom in real estate, and the expanded tax base could bring only unequivocal good fortune to the lucky island, and state. A source of a more official nature indicated that this would indeed be an expansion of potentially huge proportions.

With respect to tourism, Hawaii since western contact has risen and fallen in its perceived value as a distinctive destination region. It was one of the political centres' of the Big Island when Cook anchored at Kealakekua Bay in 1779, then during the latter part of Kamehameha's region (1812-19) it was the seat of government for the island chain. Visiting western ships were obliged to touch base a Kona, although most spent the majority of time being provisioned and repaired at Honolulu Harbour. After Kamehameha II established the seat of government at Honolulu, in 1820, Kona's importance declined steeply. Tourists visiting during the rest of the century, and particularly after 1850, found a sleepy back-water region. Most visitors were commuters travelling between Honolulu and Kilauea Volcano, and did little more in Kona than visit the monument placed at the site of Cook's death.

This sleepy identity persisted until the 1920s, when the same characteristics were reinterpreted. Kona then became known as the best location in the Territory for tourists who desired to see "old Hawaii" which had largely disappeared elsewhere, particularly from Honolulu. The local "way of life" became the basis for a well-developed regional identity to tourists. However, after World-War II, and particularly during the 1950s, local entrepreneurs anticipated exploiting this known quality to develop the tourism industry there.

Planners at the State and County levels have focussed on the entire leeward coastal zone, however, and have created a new regional identity -- West Hawaii. This encompasses the leeward coasts of districts of North and South Kohala and Ka'u, as well as North and South Kona. Plans for development of tourism have been published at this larger scale (Department of Planning and Economic Development, 1972). Additionally, developers have been attracted to the resources in the coastal zone of South Kohala, and this district has emerged as a major resort area.

Social Impact

As a tourist destination, Hawaii also attained a strong regional identity, based on local ambience and lifestyle of a particular period. This identity faded by the 1960s, precisely because of development built to exploit it.

Tourism has very strong positive on the economic and social life of Hawaii. Development of service resources, new hotels, shops and restaurants create economic activity and a source of income generation for the native Hawaiian.

Concluding it is obvious that Hawaii is a tourist region, one that is distinct from other areas in the United States in terms of space and place-content. This is also significant that the area is different and distinct for visitors as well as its residents. Such an indication show that uniqueness is important in a fundamental way, by being the basis of the regional identity both groups recognize, and relate to each other in terms of .

There are social as well as environmental impacts both on the tourists and locals. The previous research show that Hawaii

Social Impacts

In environment recourses represent familiar resource category to geographers, social resources definitely do not. This category emerges from experiences tourists have with the people they meet at the destination. For Hawaii, these people were almost exclusively local residents. In travel narratives the descriptions of social experiences often took up large percentage of text. At times this seemed wholly out of proportion to the importance of the person being described. Form this, it can be concluded that social experience with local residents are important; they fulfilled needs just as much as did any of the other major categories.

Environmental Resources

Climate has undoubtedly been perceived as the best environmental resource the region has to offer. The particular aspects of climate that have been appreciated have changed markedly. Until the 1920s, the cool climate of upland Kona was considered the best. In the 1960s, the tourist industry has constructed facilities only at the coast, however, so that resort tourists could appreciate the oceanic climate. Kona's flora was mainly experienced during the 19th century, when tourists could take horseback rides through the mauka countryside. Contemporary tourists have very little contact with the native flora of the region.

The Identity as Someplace Special

The readings of travel narratives and guidebooks indicated that, over the past two centuries, Hawaii has often been considered someplace special. Overall, visitors to Hawaii have experienced a wide variety of phenomena there.

In Hawaii visitors find much to experience within it. The enormous volcanoes, the rarefied air on their upper slopes, and the magnificent forest filled with tree ferns delighted these visitors. But since World War II tourists have often arrived in the "resort" town of Kailua expecting to find something else: a stretch of beach like Waikiki, where they can be lazy while getting a tan. Then the discover Kailua has but one small beach, and that all the rest in Kona are also small and are hard to reach. This can be difficult to accept, and sun lust tourists ponder why they're spending time in Hawaiian town with no beaches.