• Tourism old and new Tourism old and new The efforts by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the county’s Office of Economic Development and other organizations to spruce up the Fern Grotto area are to be praised, as well as the
• Tourism old and new
Tourism old and new
The efforts by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the county’s Office of Economic Development and other organizations to spruce up the Fern Grotto area are to be praised, as well as the Smith family of Wailua have been bringing visitors up the Wailua River since late 1940s.
A lasting image of Kaua‘i is made on river boat rides up the Wailua River to the Fern Grotto for thousands of visitors each year. Due to recent drought conditions the famed fern display in the natural amphitheater were wilting; something had to be done, and something has been done.
Starting tomorrow work on ADA handicapped access improvements and other fixes are to begin at the Fern Grotto.
The Fern Grotto is one of about a dozen long-time natural visitor attractions that Kaua‘i is famous for in the world of travel. Others include the lookout at Lumaha‘i, Ke‘e Beach at Ha‘ena, the overlooks above Waimea Canyon and Kalalau Valley, the Alekoko – Menehune Fishponds, the pier at Hanalei and others.
While resorts have been developed over the years at choice beaches across the Island, and visitor activities have grown in variety and number, the traditional visitor stops remain necessary in maintaining Kaua‘i’s reputation as one of the most beautiful islands in the Hawaiian Chain, as well as in Polynesia. If we let these “free” locations go to seed it will affect the experience of many visitors. The extra effort now being shown at the Fern Grotto is a good example of how to keep these sites in top notch shape.
Development of new visitor activities on Kaua‘i are usually carefully done. You don’t see parasailing, motorized jet skis circling offshore platforms, tourist submarines and other tourist attractions that are common at Waikiki and other visitor destinations within the state.
It is important that we keep our standards high in this area, while the natural beauty of the Island is protected.
With hundreds of new visitor units being built, or in the planning stage, we face over development of our visitor activities in the future. Having more visitors means more demand for things to do. Our local governments, our visitor industry and our local residents need to remain vigilant and firm that the limits to visitor attraction development – both written and unwritten – remain in place. Otherwise we will see one of the main pillars of life on Kaua‘i as we know and enjoy it yanked out from under us.
