Post by tekmac on May 21, 2005 19:18:03 GMT -5
HONOLULU, Hawaii (17 May 2005) -- Private tour companies are finding ways to take people into Hanauma Bay even as park administrators say they are looking at ways to stop them.
Access to Hanauma Bay -- repeatedly ranked the nation's best beach and snorkeling spot -- is a contentious issue and the cause of a prolonged conflict between the City & County of Honolulu, which manages the park, and tourism-related businesses.
The two sides seem to be heading toward a face-off as more and more operators openly flout city regulations.
The park's 15-year-old management plan bans tour buses from dropping off or picking up passengers at the bay. The restriction helped the park reduce the annual number of visitors to 1 million from 3 million.
Vendors, private bus companies and tour operators say the limitation costs them a huge chunk of business and revenue. The rule is even more difficult to swallow knowing that their competitor, TheBus, is allowed to bring in loads of people to the park daily.
City and park administrators say Hanauma Bay is primarily a nature preserve that happens to be a popular tourist draw.
Alan Hong, Hanauma Bay manager, says the tourism industry doesn't care about preservation.
"There's a buck to be made at Hanauma Bay and we are cramping their profits," he said. "Even with these rules in place, a vast number of operators circumvent the process. They don't want to abide by the rules of park preservation and [they] sneak in. We are looking at taking action [against them] shortly."
For instance, tour groups are shuttled in from Waikiki and transferred into taxis at Koko Marina Center on Kalanianaole Highway.
These so-called taxis, essentially 10- to 12-passenger vans, take tourists equipped with snorkel and scuba diving gear on the seven-minute drive to the bay. This strategy keeps up the appearance of individuals taking a cab on their own instead of being part of a group. Some other operators use their homes in Kaimuki or other locations to transfer passengers into taxis.
SOURCE - Pacific Business News
Access to Hanauma Bay -- repeatedly ranked the nation's best beach and snorkeling spot -- is a contentious issue and the cause of a prolonged conflict between the City & County of Honolulu, which manages the park, and tourism-related businesses.
The two sides seem to be heading toward a face-off as more and more operators openly flout city regulations.
The park's 15-year-old management plan bans tour buses from dropping off or picking up passengers at the bay. The restriction helped the park reduce the annual number of visitors to 1 million from 3 million.
Vendors, private bus companies and tour operators say the limitation costs them a huge chunk of business and revenue. The rule is even more difficult to swallow knowing that their competitor, TheBus, is allowed to bring in loads of people to the park daily.
City and park administrators say Hanauma Bay is primarily a nature preserve that happens to be a popular tourist draw.
Alan Hong, Hanauma Bay manager, says the tourism industry doesn't care about preservation.
"There's a buck to be made at Hanauma Bay and we are cramping their profits," he said. "Even with these rules in place, a vast number of operators circumvent the process. They don't want to abide by the rules of park preservation and [they] sneak in. We are looking at taking action [against them] shortly."
For instance, tour groups are shuttled in from Waikiki and transferred into taxis at Koko Marina Center on Kalanianaole Highway.
These so-called taxis, essentially 10- to 12-passenger vans, take tourists equipped with snorkel and scuba diving gear on the seven-minute drive to the bay. This strategy keeps up the appearance of individuals taking a cab on their own instead of being part of a group. Some other operators use their homes in Kaimuki or other locations to transfer passengers into taxis.
SOURCE - Pacific Business News