The end of the middle-class traveler in Hawaii is near

The dream of a Hawaii vacation is quickly slipping away as rising costs are pricing out middle-class travelers. What was once considered to be an attainable trip for many is quickly becoming a luxury reserved for the few. 

Resort fees are climbing, and hotel rates are soaring, with lodging prices doubling in some areas since 2019, pushing lower earners to the side. At the same time, Hawaii’s tourism agency is focusing its efforts on attracting fewer, higher-spending visitors, furthering the divide. In September, visitors were spending an average of $270 per person per day on lodging, food, entertainment and shopping, up from the $196 they were spending per day in 2019.

The data speaks volumes when looking at hotel rates just six years prior. In August 2025, the average daily hotel rate rose to $361, up from $290 in 2019, a 25% difference. The Island of Hawaii saw the largest jump, with a 59% increase. In August 2025, Island of Hawaii visitors paid $444, while in 2019, it was $280. Kauai is right behind, with hotel prices averaging $430 a night, a 52% increase compared with 2019, when visitors were paying $283 on average. 

I’ve been traveling to Kauai since I was a teen, steadily watching the hotels I once thought to be affordable become out of reach. On a recent visit, I stayed at the cheapest motel on the island, with a rate of $195, while others were priced around $300 a night. 

Yes, there are sometimes deals depending on the time of year, and Oahu’s large number of hotels and lower average daily rate, at around $289, make it the most affordable island. But the facts are straightforward: Hawaii vacation costs have increased. 

It’s deterring me from traveling to Kauai at all, since there are far fewer budget accommodations there. I’m not alone, as visitors are forced to make choices. Some are cutting back the number of trips, while others are eliminating Hawaii as an option completely, choosing other beach destinations like Mexico or the Caribbean.

I imagine Hawaii residents, traveling interisland for a staycation even with their kamaaina resident rates, are running into similar scenarios. And that hits a bit harder, knowing that people who are from the Islands may not be able to afford visiting another island. 

My worry is that, little by little, Hawaii is turning into a luxury destination for the elite, like the guests of “The White Lotus.” Is Hawaii following in the footsteps of Lake Tahoe or expensive East Coast beach destinations like Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard? 

The median income for an American middle-class earner was $106,092 as of 2022. And the data is clear: The general demographic for Hawaii visitors is skewing toward higher-income travelers. The trend has been strengthening over many years.

In 2018, 64% of Hawaii visitors from the Western U.S. had household incomes below $150,000, compared with 51% in 2023. Visitors from the Western U.S. earning under $100,000 made up 36.4% of visitors in 2018, which dropped to 26% in 2023.

While middle-class travel declined, visitors from higher-income brackets rose. In 2023, 49% of Western U.S. visitors earned more than $150,000, up from 36% in 2018.

For as long as Hawaii tourism has existed, it has been marketed to the masses. Magazines and newspapers advertised it. TV families, like those in “The Brady Bunch” or “Full House,” traveled there. “The Price Is Right” and “Wheel of Fortune” gave away Hawaii vacations. And just like when Las Vegas turned its back on family travelers after marketing heavily to them, it feels like Hawaii is turning its back on the middle class. 

The shift is unapologetic. While Hawaii’s tourism agency has no control around pricing, it has made it clear that it prefers to market to higher spenders. One of the arguments for this strategy is that it could help with overtourism. It basically prices out those who can’t afford it, thus reducing the numbers. 

I’ve also heard arguments about how focusing on certain regions, like San Francisco and LA, rather than other parts of the country, brings more mindful visitors who are interested in watching how they impact the environment and residents.

But who’s to say that a lower-to-middle-class traveler isn’t interested in regenerative tourism? Or that they don’t value learning about the culture? And so while attracting visitors who earn more money is helpful for the economy, it’s also sending a message that no one else is capable of being conscientious and only those with deep pockets are welcome.

By focusing too heavily on wealthier visitors, Hawaii may be sacrificing some of the values that make it unique, and alienating those who genuinely want to engage with its culture and environment in a respectful way. And for people from the Islands, whether they live there now or are among the hundreds of thousands of Native Hawaiians who have moved away, like myself, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to visit family and friends and to reconnect with the land and tradition.

Editor’s note: SFGATE recognizes the importance of diacritical marks in the Hawaiian language. We are unable to use them due to the limitations of our publishing platform.