Destination Management Action Plan
Based on the community input received during our recent Destination Management Action Plan (DMAP) process, Hawai‘i’s residents have made it abundantly clear that illegal vacation rentals must be eliminated. The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority’s (HTA) board of directors has also supported this position since January 2019.
In September 2021, the board enabled HTA to provide testimony in support of the proposed amendments to Chapter 21 by the Department of Planning and Permitting, which would further enhance the City and County of Honolulu’s ability to provide enforcement against unpermitted short-term vacation rentals. See HTA’s testimony in support.
Therefore, we strongly urge the visitor industry and community to make your voice heard and offer testimony in support of Bill 41 CD1 addressing illegal vacation rentals in the City and County of Honolulu. The first hearing on this will be held at 10:00 A.M., WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10. Click here for the agenda.
To provide oral testimony during the online meeting via Zoom, visit www.zoom.us, click “Join,” enter ID 99152007042, and complete the registration process. Zoom testifiers are strongly encouraged to register at least 24 hours before the start of the meeting.
Written testimony may be submitted by one of the following options:
- Online at honolulu.gov/ccl-testimony-form.html
- Fax: (808) 768-3826
- Mail: Office of the City Clerk, Attention: Information Section, 530 South King Street, Room 100, Honolulu, HI 96813
Illegal vacation rentals negatively impact the quality of life for residents by increasing congestion and noise in neighborhoods, placing additional burdens on infrastructure and facilities, and taking potential rental properties off the market.
In keeping with HTA’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan, DMAPs, and commitment to Mālama Ku‘u Home (caring for my beloved home), we are supporting efforts at both the state and county levels to address the proliferation of illegal vacation rentals. Bill 41 directly supports Action A of the O‘ahu DMAP, which aims to: “Decrease the total number of visitors to O‘ahu to a manageable level by controlling the number of visitor accommodations and exploring changes to land use, zoning and airport policies.”
It’s important to note there have been no major increases to the total accommodations units provided statewide by hotels, condo hotels and timeshares in recent years. In 2009, Hawai‘i had 67,335 units statewide. A decade later, in 2019, that total had shrunk to 65,707 units, a 2.4% decrease.
However, during the same 10-year period, visitor arrivals increased from 6.4 million to 10.2 million, a jump of 59.5%. We believe many of these additional visitors stayed in illegal vacation rentals, located throughout Hawai‘i’s residential neighborhoods.
We are asking the visitor industry and community to come forward and offer testimony in support of Bill 41. Read Bill 41 CD1.
