Why Tour Groups Are Barred From Stopping At Some Honolulu Beaches But Not Others 11 The City Council is considering halting commercial activity at Kokololio Beach. Residents and tour companies say beach-by-beach bans push the problem down the road and don’t solve the overall problem.
Hauula resident Desirree Madison-Biggs noticed an increase in the number of visitors outside her beachfront home over the summer. She points the finger at a large tour company that drops off an estimated 300 people a day at the nearly half-mile Kokololio Beach.
Concerns about heavy foot traffic and environmental impacts at the Windward beach have prompted a bill before the Honolulu City Council calling for a ban on tour stops there. That would add it to a list of more than a dozen Oahu beaches where commercial activities are banned.
But critics say the piecemeal approach pushes the problem to other coastline communities and doesn’t solve the underlying issue of overuse and tensions with local residents. Owners of commercial tour companies, meanwhile, are worried they will be pushed out of business if the bans continue to spread across the island.
