Limiting​ ​resort​ ​growth​ ​will​ ​address tourism issue

Contributed photo County Councilmember JoAnn A. Yukimura

Allan​ ​Parachini’s​ ​recent​ ​reporting​ ​about​ ​the​ ​overabundance​ ​of​ ​visitors​ ​and​ ​cars​ ​at​ ​Haena​ ​State Park​ ​has​ ​sparked​ ​a​ ​passionate​ ​discussion​ ​about​ ​too​ ​many​ ​visitors​ ​on​ ​Kauai.​ ​​ ​To​ ​the​ ​credit​ ​of the​ ​Kauai​ ​visitor​ ​industry,​ ​the​ ​county’s​ ​​Tourism​ ​Strategic​ ​Plan​ ​​acknowledges​ ​that​ ​we​ ​are​ ​at​ ​our limit:​ ​​ ​When​ ​daily​ ​visitor​ ​counts​ ​reach​ ​25,000,​ ​which​ ​happens​ ​often​ ​these​ ​days,​ ​“the​ ​island’s roads,​ ​parks,​ ​beaches​ ​and​ ​other​ ​infrastructure,​ ​in​ ​their​ ​current​ ​conditions,​ ​are​ ​taxed​ ​and​ ​the visitor​ ​experience​ ​and​ ​resident​ ​quality​ ​of​ ​life​ ​diminish.​ …”​​ Residents​ ​and​ ​visitor​ ​industry agree:​ “We​ ​are​ ​at​ ​our​ ​max.”

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