Pilot program empowers this Hawaiʻi Island community to manage tourism themselves

Photo: Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi/HPR. Retrieved from hawaiipublicradio.org

The coastal community of Keaukaha on Hawaiʻi Island has been flagged as a tourist “hotspot” by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority. Residents there say they have been feeling the pressure for years.

A new pilot program aims to empower the Keaukaha community to manage the impacts of tourism themselves.

Lehia native ʻĀinaaloha Ioane’s family has been coming to Waiuli Beach Park for generations.

“So kēia, this loko iʻa is Honokea. The ocean is Waiuli, our lae over there is Puakahinano. Then after Puakahinano, we hit Lehia,” Ioane said.

Ioane is the project coordinator for the Keliʻi William Ioane Legacy Foundation. The organization is the community lead for the Keaukaha Stewardship Program.

“The intent of the stewardship program right now is to first identify what’s happening. And once we can understand what’s happening then we can have discussions with our community about, ‘Okay, how do we feel about what we see is happening?’” Ioane said.