Hawaii’s New Visitor Tax: What Tourists From The Us And Beyond Need To Know About The Green Fee And Its Impact On Travel!

Published on September 22, 2025

As nan summertime play winds down, visitors are progressively looking for destinations that connection lukewarm weather, stunning landscapes, and unforgettable experiences. Among nan apical destinations for travelers is Hawaii, renowned for its turquoise waters, lush rainforests, and unsocial wildlife. Every year, nan land authorities attracts around 10 cardinal visitors, making tourism one of its astir important economical drivers. However, Hawaii’s earthy environment, which draws millions of travelers annually, is besides facing important threats, including nan effects of climate change, environmental degradation, and over-tourism.

To reside these pressing issues and guarantee nan protection of its islands, Hawaii has introduced the Green Fee, a caller taxation aimed astatine preserving nan state’s earthy resources for early generations. This fee, which will return effect in 2026, marks an important measurement successful Hawaii’s committedness to balancing nan benefits of tourism pinch nan request for biology sustainability.

Hawaii’s Natural Beauty Under Threat

Hawaii’s earthy beauty is its superior attraction for tourists, and it’s easy to spot why. From nan pristine beaches of Waikiki to nan volcanic landscapes of nan Big Island, Hawaii offers divers ecosystems that are rich | successful biodiversity. However, nan unit connected these ecosystems is increasing as tourism continues to thrive. The impacts of climate change are becoming much evident, pinch rising temperatures, accrued wave of utmost droughts, and destructive upwind events putting strain connected some nan situation and nan section communities.

In ray of these challenges, Hawaii’s Visitor Economy Strategy 2035 aims to guarantee that tourism tin proceed to turn while minimizing its biology footprint. The preamble of the Green Fee is portion of this broader strategy to promote sustainable tourism and money projects that will thief nan islands accommodate to and mitigate nan effects of climate change.

The Green Fee: What It Means for Tourists

Starting in 2026, visitors to Hawaii will beryllium charged a taxation connected their overnight stays in nan state. This tax, known arsenic the Green Fee, will beryllium a 0.75% summation to nan existing Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT), raising nan existent taxation complaint from 10.25% to 11%. For example, a $400 edifice room would now costs an additional $3 per night. Although this whitethorn look for illustration a mini amount, nan taxation is expected to make around $100 million annually, pinch nan costs going straight toward environmental protection and climate alteration adaptation projects.

In summation to nan state-level TAT, Hawaii’s 4 counties (with Kalawao County being an exception) will adhd an extra 3% lodging tax, bringing nan full to arsenic overmuch as 14% per night, depending connected nan location of nan accommodation. This summation will use not only to hotels but besides to short-term rentals, specified arsenic picnic homes and apartments.

Furthermore, for nan first time, the Green Fee will besides use to cruise ships operating successful Hawaiian waters. Cruise lines, which person traditionally been exempt from nan TAT, person expressed their guidance to nan caller tax. The Cruise Lines International Association has revenge a suit successful the US District Court, arguing that nan taxation is unconstitutional, but nan state’s determination stands arsenic portion of its strategy to reside nan biology impacts of tourism.

How nan Green Fee Will Be Used

The gross generated by the Green Fee will beryllium directed toward various projects that purpose to protect Hawaii’s earthy resources and accommodate to nan challenges posed by climate change. The allocation of costs will beryllium wished done a collaborative process involving the Hawaii administration, state legislature, businesses, and environmental groups. These stakeholders will thief guideline nan decision-making process connected wherever nan costs should beryllium allocated, pinch a attraction connected sustainable improvement and biology restoration.

Key Focus Areas for Green Fee Funding

The costs from the Green Fee will apt beryllium utilized for respective cardinal initiatives aimed astatine improving Hawaii’s environmental resilience and enhancing its tourism infrastructure. Some imaginable attraction areas include:

1. Environmental Protection and Restoration: Projects to reconstruct damaged ecosystems, specified arsenic coral reefs and beaches, will beryllium a apical priority. One specified task is nan replenishment of soil on Waikiki Beach, which has been severely eroded complete nan years.
2. Climate and Disaster Resilience: Hawaii is susceptible to earthy disasters specified arsenic hurricanes, wildfires, and flooding. The Green Fee will thief money measures to protect infrastructure, amended disaster preparedness, and support communities successful nan look of ambiance change.
3. Sustainable Tourism Initiatives: With nan extremity of reducing nan biology footprint of tourism, backing will beryllium directed towards promoting sustainable tourism practices. This includes encouraging eco-friendly transportation, discarded management, and energy-efficient accommodations.
4. Wildfire Prevention and Climate Adaptation: Following nan devastating 2023 Maui wildfires, wildfire prevention has go a priority. Projects aimed astatine clearing flammable invasive grasses and strengthening nan state’s expertise to respond to early fires will beryllium funded by the Green Fee.
5. Promoting Local and Sustainable Practices: Encouraging nan usage of section products and services, specified as hurricane clips for securing roofs, will beryllium portion of nan broader efforts to create a much resilient and sustainable economy.

Balancing Tourism and Environmental Responsibility

While nan new Green Fee has received wide support from Hawaii’s hotel industry, location are concerns astir really nan taxation mightiness impact tourism in nan state. Hawaii already has 1 of nan highest tourist taxes in nan nation, pinch the Green Fee pushing nan full taxation complaint for immoderate accommodations adjacent to 19%.

Governor Josh Green, who spearheaded nan caller policy, believes that nan additional 0.75% will beryllium a mini capable summation for astir travelers to invited nan opportunity to lend to nan preservation of Hawaii’s earthy beauty. Green sees nan taxation arsenic a long-term investment in nan state’s environment, which will guarantee that early generations tin proceed to bask its unsocial attractions.

In an interview, Governor Green expressed his dream that the Green Fee would cultivate a consciousness of biology work among visitors, fostering lifelong committed travelers who worth nan preservation of Hawaii’s resources.

Perceptions of Tourists and nan Willingness to Pay

While the Green Fee is a measurement guardant successful protecting Hawaii’s environment, immoderate imaginable visitors person raised concerns astir nan caller surcharge. However, investigation suggests that a increasing number of travelers are consenting to salary other for sustainable recreation experiences. Studies show that over 75% of visitors definitive a desire to recreation much sustainably, and nearly 80% of travelers are prepared to salary astatine least 10% more for eco-friendly recreation options.

For galore tourists, knowing that their money is being utilized to support environmental protection may summation their willingness to salary nan other fee. Sustainable tourism is becoming an progressively important information for travelers, and the Green Fee aligns pinch this increasing trend.

Global Examples of Climate Taxes

Hawaii is not nan first destination to instrumentality a climate tax on visitors. Other celebrated tourer destinations, specified as Greece, the Maldives, and New Zealand, person besides introduced akin taxes. In Greece, for instance, a Climate Crisis Resilience Fee is charged successful high-demand areas like Mykonos and Santorini. Similarly, the Maldives raised its biology taxation successful 2023, while New Zealand has been charging an International Visitor Levy since 2019. These taxes are utilized to money projects related to sustainable tourism, climate resilience, and ecosystem restoration.

Conclusion: A Sustainable Future for Hawaii

The preamble of the Green Fee represents a bold measurement successful Hawaii’s efforts to guarantee nan semipermanent preservation of its earthy beauty. By encouraging visitors to lend to nan biology protection of nan islands, nan authorities is taking important steps toward sustainable tourism. With nan gross directed toward captious projects specified arsenic ecosystem restoration, ambiance resilience, and disaster preparedness, the Green Fee is a affirmative move for some Hawaii’s situation and economy.

Ultimately, nan extremity of the Green Fee is to create a more sustainable tourism industry in Hawaii, ensuring that nan islands stay a apical destination for early generations of travelers. With support from some section residents and tourists, this inaugural could service arsenic a exemplary for different regions looking to equilibrium tourism maturation pinch biology responsibility.