Tag Archives: Waikiki

Business, Diversity, Politics, Race Relations

NATIVE HAWAIIANS WANT DONALD TRUMP EVICTED FROM WAIKIKI

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imageHONOLULU, Hawaii (The Adobo Chronicles ) – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump may be having a dose of his own medicine, thanks to Native Hawaiians who want the real estate mogul evicted from Waikiki.

All of Hawaii’s land of course belonged to the Native Hawaiians before the Americans overthrew the Monarchy in 1893 and annexed the islands to the United States. The Nation of Hawaii still maintains that all non-Hawaiian land and building owners are sitting on  illegally acquired property.

In 2009, Trump built a luxury tower in Waikiki, just a stone’s throw away from the beach.

Trump of course has gone on record as saying that all undocumented immigrants should be deported and that a great wall be built along the U.S. southern border with Mexico. But not only is Trump a foreigner himself because he is not Native American; his Trump Towers in Waikiki (and technically, the rest of his real estate property elsewhere in the U.S.) is built on stolen land.

The Hawaiians have given Trump until the end of this month to vacate, after which the Trump Towers will become the official headquarters of the Nation of Hawaii.

International, Science and Environment, Tourism

HAWAII TO IMPORT WHITE SAND FROM THE PHILIPPINES TO SAVE WAIKIKI BEACH

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Photo: The Adobo Chronicles
A gloomy forecast for Hawaii’s Waikiki Beach (Photo: The Adobo Chronicles)

HONOLULU, Hawaii (The Adobo Chronicles) – The world-famous Waikiki Beach, known for its blue water and immaculate white sand, is slowly disappearing, according to a recent report in The Huffington Post: 

“A crumbling, century-old stone wall that juts out from the Royal Hawaiian Hotel is in imminent danger of collapsing, say scientists. The groin is the sole reason sand remains along this main stretch of Waikiki Beach.

Without it, the beach in front of the Royal Hawaiian would likely disappear in a matter of days, said Dolan Eversole, a scientist with the University of Hawaii’s Sea Grant program. It would take several months to a year for the rest of the stretch of sand to erode.”

In an effort to save Waikiki’s billion-dollar tourist industry from also collapsing, the Honolulu City Council is considering several measures to repair the crumbling sea walls in order to prevent the white sand from being washed away to the ocean.

At the same time, Honolulu City Mayor Kirk Caldwell today announced that the city will be importing 27,000 cubic yards of white sand from the Philippines  to replenish what has been lost along the stretch of Waikiki Beach.

The Philippines is known for its white sandy beaches in many of its more than 7,000 islands. International tourists have been visiting beach resorts in the Visayas, Palawan and the Ilocos region in the Philippines mainly for the pristine waters and pearly white sand.

Philippine President NoyNoy Aquino welcomed the news from Hawaii and used the sand export deal to again boast of his administration’s many successes in jumpstarting the country’s economy. “We can use the revenue from the sand export to build more high-rise condominiums in Metro Manila,” Aquino said.

Business, Politics, Tourism

500 FREE ONE-WAY TICKETS BEING OFFERED ON HAWAIIAN AIRLINES

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imageHonolulu, Hawaii (The Adobo Chronicles) – It is rare that commercial airlines offer free tickets with no strings attached. But that is exactly what Hawaiian Airlines is offering – complimentary tickets to as many as 500 passengers. What’s the catch? The tickets are one-way — out of Hawaii.

The offer is part of a new initiative between the Honolulu government and private businesses in Waikiki’s tourism industry.

For several years now, Waikiki has seen a sharp increase in homeless people lining Kalakaua Avenue directly across from Waikiki Beach. Honolulu’s City Hall and Waikiki merchants have agreed that the sight of homeless people — many of whom are from states in the U.S. Mainland — is not good for tourism which is the top revenue-earning industry of Hawaii.

Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association (HLTA) is giving the Institute for Human Services (IHS) $100,000 this year in addition to the same amount next year. But that’s just to kick start the program. The funds will help pay for the tickets on Hawaiian Airlines.

“When the number one complaint from our visitors on why they will not be coming back to Hawaii is the homeless, you have an issue,” said George Szigeti, President and CEO of HLTA. “So when IHS came to us with a plan of action tailored to address the homeless situation in our Waikiki community, we were pleased and we immediately pledged our support,” Szigeti said.

It is estimated that currently, about 500 individuals  call the streets of Waikiki home. The city would need an additional $400,000 to complete the process of sending the homeless back to their home states. It hopes to raise that amount quickly from businesses in Waikiki.

To qualify for the complimentary tickets, homeless people must appear at City Hall for a mugshot and fingerprinting and sign a pledge never to return again to the Aloha State. If they prefer to fly first class, they have to personally shoulder the price difference.

Say ‘Aloha!’