Governor Josh Green is working on a plan to introduce a "Green Fee" for visitors to Hawaii.
Tourism tax in Hawaii: is it coming?
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When Hawaii's legislative session starts on January 15th, one of the first things they'll be voting on is a new fee for tourists visiting the state.
In a memorandum from December 31st, 2024, Hawaii's Governor, Josh Green,
The administration has been working on proposing the "Green Fee" to the legislature. This initiative would require visitors to pay a fee to help fund climate resilience initiatives. The money from this fee would be used to preserve and protect Hawaii's environment and promote clean energy solutions. This would help build a more sustainable Hawaii for future generations.
The fee would be in addition to Hawaii's existing tourism tax, which is 10.25% with an extra 3% in some counties.
During the 2022 election, Green campaigned on a $50 flat fee for tourists. A year later, officials proposed a visitor impact fee program, which would charge travelers a fee to buy a license to visit a state park, forest, hiking trail, or other state natural area. However, this initiative didn't pass.
At the beginning of 2024, a bill was introduced that would impose a "modest fee" on tourists. This fee would generate more than $68 million in revenue each year and increase awareness of the impacts of climate change. However, just weeks later, state lawmakers decided not to pass this initiative, despite the devastating wildfires that had ravaged the western coast of Maui just a few months earlier in August 2023. These wildfires had resulted in more than 100 deaths and the destruction of the historic town of Lāhainā.
Hawaii is not the only destination imposing a tourism tax. In September 2024, New Zealand nearly tripled the fee for international visitors, and on December 1st, 2024, the Maldives began a departure tax that ensures travelers contribute to the preservation of the islands. These countries are joining a growing list of locations, including Iceland and the Italian city of Venice, that are using fees to help address the issue of overtourism.
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