Posted on: Thursday, April 22, 2004

EDITORIAL
Quality state parks are an economic necessity

A new survey of the folks who use Hawai'i's parks provides strong support for the idea that at least a small amount of the millions set aside for tourism promotion should be used to upgrade those parks.

The Hawai'i Tourism Authority ordered the survey to get a handle on what people like and don't like about our state parks. The natural beauty of the parks was applauded, but visitors were critical of upkeep, restrooms and food facilities as well as security.

What was striking is the survey's report that some two-thirds of the 9.2 million visitors to state parks annually come from out of state. It is clear our parks are a major visitor attraction and amenity.

As such, it only makes sense that part of the cost of maintaining and improving parks comes out of dollars designed to attract visitors.

Some in the hotel industry have complained that the set-aside for park maintenance, which could be as high as $1 million a year, is too much. Their point is that the $60 million in hotel taxes given to the Tourism Authority is supposed to go directly for promotion and marketing.

But there are many forms of marketing. If the millions of tourists who visit our parks each year go home with a bad impression, the word-of-mouth negative impact on our image could be substantial.

Setting aside a small portion of the state's tourism marketing budget for park upgrades is a worthwhile investment.