A lot of talk locally over a lot of years has focused on finding alternate, vibrant economic options to tourism. Things really ramped up last summer when we realized that not only was no one coming for a while, but we didn’t have a lot to fall back on to ease that pain. It came as no surprise, as the talk, for decades has been just that- talk.
Now that the tourists are coming back in increasing numbers, can we take that talk to the next level with plans, ideas, partnerships, and/or public/private entrepreneurial ventures? Could we become home to an East/West medical hub, boast of a space exploration site (on a spacious Neighbor Island plot)? Can we entertain cyber security entities in conjunction with our large military presence or possibly harness alternative energy options here to become leaders in that valuable sector?
Or… will we continue to just talk- about economic options, affordable housing, re-training employees now bumped out of jobs, and how education matters because the “keiki are our future” (which they are, whether we say it or not)? Let’s strive for bold initiatives with specifics, substance, research, and capital? As overcrowding becomes a bigger issue, will nerves get frayed further here and thus will our local population continue its recent emigration surge eastward?
So let’s get crazy (as Prince would say) and embrace successful tactics deployed elsewhere to help change things for our future. Maybe start by retrofitting under-utilized government or office buildings into temporary housing shelters. Or taking problematic, under-visited shopping centers and re-shaping them into fulfillment centers or kupuna apartments, perhaps even creating “affordable” (a squishy term at best) housing by going up ten stories high and giving tax breaks as incentives. After all, as a builder/business entity, why build $400,000 living units today when the $950,000 ones sell out immediately?
Let’s acknowledge that every bold move won’t be met with resounding applause and encouragement, but let’s start mapping out and then acting upon strategies to get us through the next pandemic, hurricane, airline strike, or economic slump without facing the huge indigestion that’s occurs every time our hotels (and restaurants) aren’t full. Let’s look outside at other isolated tourist communities around the world to see how they’ve managed to lessen the weight that tourism plays on far too many aspects of local life, while we still welcome respectful visitors who frequent our shores.
Think about it…