Hawai I: The Hawaiian Culture

It is always exciting to visit a place one has never been to. Seeing the culture, natural beauty, and tasting new foods can be a great experience while on vacation. However, that does not seem to be what happens in Hawai’i anymore. With Hawai’i receiving a plethora of 8.6 million visitors in the last year, tourists have become obsessed with immersing in a culture catered to them, never really absorbing an authentic experience during their stay (“Hawaii Reminds Locals”). There are simply too many people visiting at once to personalize each person's visit. Hawai’i ends up becoming a theme park for tourists to run about and disturb locals. Tourism can help the people who live there by providing a stable economy and healthy employment rate, but

Hawaiian culture has had a rough start staying present in today's world. Molly Krasnodebska explains “as Hawaiian culture was struggling for survival, the more and more powerful tourism industry was creating its own image of ‘Hawaiian Culture’.” The Hawaiian culture has been lost since most of it was passed on through generations without physical record, only verbal and memory. Because of this, the culture is hard to recover and there has not been much time to reestablish it. As a result, tourist oriented culture and authentic culture are constantly fighting for attention from visitors. Most tourists are interested in the Hawaiian Culture the tourism industry has created rather than the actual culture. They are never exposed to the real culture of sacred dances, ceremonies, and songs. Tourism branding is used to promote and make Hawai’i seem ‘attractive’, highlighting the culture and heritage of the state, when in reality the brand only uses those features to attract potential tourists. Krasnodebska also states that “the brand is controlled by the hotel giants, and exists primarily for the tourists.” Since tourism is the main key to keeping a stable economy in Hawai’i, the focus is always on it. Buildings are made to accommodate tourists and not made to house residents. Real Hawaiian villages are never visited because tourists are stuck in metropolitan areas surrounded by roads and civilization. Tourists who travel in the most popular places in Hawai’i rarely get the real feeling of being in Hawai’i. Herbert Sample argues that “the Hawaiian culture that tourists see is very tourist-oriented… tourists don't see authentic culture.” Most tourists are impressed by receiving a flowered lei upon arrival, going to a Luau, and drinking out of a coconut on the beach. The experience of Hawai’i is catered to what the tourists want to