Honolulu Airbnbs Shut Down When The Pandemic Began. The Mayor Wants To Keep It That Way … The mayor sees the crackdown on vacation rentals as a tourism control measure.
When Hawaii tourism came to a halt in 2020, Honolulu residents were able to feel what the island was like before the advent of short-term vacation rentals – and the millions of tourists they draw.
Mayor Rick Blangiardi wants to hold onto that feeling and is proposing what he calls an aggressive crackdown on the industry.
“Our plan here, and what we’re going to do, is to shut that business down,” the mayor said at a press conference last week. “We feel this is absolutely critical for our communities, so we’re not feeling overrun. This is about the city’s efforts to manage tourism while at the same time, address housing needs.”
