Hawai'i's national parks lure sightseers, spenders
| • | Chart (opens in new window): Making money in Hawai'i's national parks |
By Christie Wilson
Advertiser Neighbor Island Editor
Waterfalls, spectacular scenic vistas and roadside flower stands may be reward enough for those traveling along Hana Highway, but the destination for most visitors on the winding road is the Pools of 'Ohe'o in the Kipahulu District of Haleakala National Park.
The pools attracted approximately 700,000 sightseers last year, and an estimated 20 percent of those visitors also stopped by Hana's famed Hasegawa General Store, which is something of a tourist attraction itself.
"The national park is definitely an attraction that draws people, and our sales go hand-in-hand with the amount of visitors," said owner Harry Hasegawa, whose family started the business nearly a century ago.
Hasegawa is among thousands of Hawai'i residents who receive direct economic benefits from close proximity to a national park or historic site.
A study conducted by Michigan State University researchers for the National Park Service calculated visitor spending in the areas surrounding Hawai'i's seven national parks at $239.4 million in 2001. The direct economic effects included 4,844 jobs.
As that visitor spending circulated through the economy, the benefits were multiplied, resulting in a total economic impact of $295 million in sales and 6,157 jobs, the study said.
The seven parks are Haleakala on Maui and Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island, the USS Arizona Memorial, Kalaupapa National Historical Park on Moloka'i, the Kaloko-Honokohau and Pu'uohonua o Honaunau national historical parks in Kona, and Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site in Kohala.
The impacts reported in the study cover only the economic effects of visitor spending for lodging, restaurants, gas, groceries, souvenirs and other expenses directly related to visiting the parks. The numbers do not reflect the impacts of park operations, park employees, construction activity, or visitor spending outside the local area.
In general, the study defined a local area as being within an hour's drive from natural resource-oriented parks, and a 20-minute drive from smaller or historical parks in urban areas.
The Hawai'i parks recorded a total of 4.76 million visits in 2001, according to the study. Although the USS Arizona Memorial had the greatest number of visits, Haleakala generated the largest economic impact, followed closely by Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.
Haleakala National Park Superintendent Don Reeser said many people recognize that national parks play an important role in preserving Hawai'i's natural, historical and cultural heritage, but their economic contributions may not be as well understood.
"The importance of having a national park in your back yard is sometimes overlooked," Reeser said.
It certainly is not overlooked on the Big Island, where Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park plays a larger role in the visitor industry than Haleakala does on Maui. The park's long-running Kilauea eruption is a chief reason why cruise ships' visits to Hilo are on the rise, according to Paula Helfrich, president of the Hawai'i Island Economic Development Board.
The volcano also attracts many day-trippers, and one challenge for Big Island promoters is to get those people to stay overnight and spend more money in the local economy, Helfrich said.
Volcano Village on the way to the national park has a steady retirement community, but many of the small businesses there would have a hard time surviving without park visitors, said Kathy Tripp, owner of Volcano's Lava Rock Cafe and Kilauea General Store.
About 50 percent of her customers are national park visitors. The two businesses employ 30 workers.
Hasegawa, who employs 15 at his Maui store, said he'd like to think that visitors would still make the long drive to Hana even without the presence of the national park, "but if it wasn't there, would we have so many hundreds of cars per day? I don't think so."
But there's a fine balance between the benefits and hassles of living near a popular tourist attraction, Hasegawa said.
"I'm a merchant, and I appreciate the incoming traffic. But if you're a local and you want to get out to do something, it's annoying."
He also sounded a warning note that if the parks become too successful, neighboring communities could be overwhelmed by the type of traffic and crowds that have diminished the visitor experience at Yellowstone and other popular national parks on the Mainland.
Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.
