New Island-by-Island Visitor Management Plans

By the Totally Hawaii Team

What changed

The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA), working with county and community partners, has published destination management action plans covering each major island for the 2026–2028 period. These plans are the state's mechanism for addressing overtourism concerns at specific sites — the kind of hyper-popular, geographically small locations (a single bay, a single trailhead) that can absorb far more visitors than they can physically or ecologically sustain.

What's actually being proposed

The plans vary by island but commonly include: formal reservation or shuttle systems for sites that currently have none, visitor caps at ecologically sensitive locations, expanded fee structures (see our related story on state park fee expansion), and infrastructure investment (restrooms, parking, trail maintenance) funded by those fees. Sites named in various island plans as candidates for new access management include popular snorkeling bays, waterfall trails, and North Shore surf-viewing areas that currently have informal or no visitor limits.

Why this is a "watch this space" story, not a "here's the new rule" story

These are multi-year action plans, not immediate regulations — specific reservation systems and caps get implemented on a rolling basis as county governments and land managers work through funding and logistics, sometimes years after a plan is published. We're not going to speculate about which specific sites will require reservations by what date; that's the kind of claim that goes stale fast and should come from the HTA or the relevant county directly.

What to actually do about it

If your itinerary is built around one specific, highly popular site — a particular bay, a particular trail — check that site's current status shortly before your trip rather than assuming it's still open access. We flag known reservation requirements throughout our activity guides, and update them as we confirm changes.