Council to consider bill that would require ‘Keep Hawaii Hawaii’ pledge from tourists

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - A bill that would require all visitors to sign a pledge to “Keep Hawaii Hawaii” is up for discussion at Honolulu Hale on Tuesday.

A City Council committee will take a look at Bill 51, which would work with airlines and cruise ships to make visitors more aware of Hawaii’s culture, people and natural resources.

“We’re getting to a point that if we don’t as a city get involved in managing our tourism better, then the residents are going to start turning against our no. 1 economy," said City Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, who introduced the measure. "That could hurt us in the long run, so we have to get a grasp on this now.”

Similar initiatives have been started on Hawaii Island and Kauai. But this would be the first by a government agency.

The panel will also consider a measure urging the state Legislature to begin tourism impact fees. Those fees would be added to the cost of airline and cruise ship tickets purchased by non-Hawaii residents.

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