HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Even with all the attention rightfully focused on helping Maui residents and Lahaina’s rebuilding, lawmakers are still hoping to get a better handle on Hawaii’s overwhelming number of visitors this legislative session.
Key lawmakers are proposing an app for that.
The problem of too many people in too few precious places has led to targeted tactics — like reservation requirements, traffic controls and public service videos, which rarely reach a wide audience, according to state House Tourism Chair Rep. Sean Quinlan.
“The airlines’ don’t want their last point of contact with their customers to be some horrible video of people falling off the cliff,” he said.
With visitors relying on their smart phones for so much information, the concept of a state visitor app is moving through the Legislature.
Quinlan, who has a 5-year-old, sees the Disneyland app as an example. It’s on his phone.
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“And it’s all right here you don’t have to carry a paper map you don’t have to wander around asking people for directions,” he said.
The theme park’s app redirects guests from overcrowded attractions to available ones, exactly what many say Hawaii needs.
“But we’ve never attempted to manage flows of people,” Quinlan said.
There are already a bewildering number of government and business apps for Hawaii visitors, however. The legislation supported by tourism officials would have HTA develop an app that visitors would see as the most valuable.
Tyler Iokepa Gomes, of the Council on Native Hawaiian Advancement’s Tourism Division, said the key is to build an app that would be seen as essential for visitors.
“They may download one, maybe two. So we have to be thoughtful about something that’s broad enough, that meets all visitor needs, but also addresses all of the concerns that the state has about managing the impacts of the visitor industry,” Gomes said.
The app could be used to make reservations at places like Diamond Head, suggest alternatives at busy times and carry advertising for local attractions and products.
“To highlight, you know, cultural or educational experiences that may not be getting the same, the same visit rate,” Gomes said. “And how do we suggest and direct our visitors attention to those kinds of opportunities?”
Quinlan also sees the app promoting safety and cultural and environmental awareness.
“So, if somebody wants to make a reservation to go see Laniakea Beach park, also known as Turtle Beach, there will be a pop up when you hit confirm that says Endangered Species Act $25,000 fine, do not touch the turtles!” he said.
Opposition to the proposed super-app is mostly from private companies who are trying to drive visitors to their apps and from government agencies unsure how their existing sites.
Quinlan is hoping a test up can be up in running by next year.
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