Tag: hawaii

Posted in Hospitality & Tourism Management

My Travel Aspirations: A Spiritual Pilgrimage

Posted on by samasoklis
Photo by Luke McKeown on Unsplash

When reflecting on my journey of travel thus far, I remember happy thoughts that immersed me into the beauty the world has to offer. From Mexico, to Costa Rica, to many states across the US, I have been introduced to many of the wonderful places across the globe. As there is much more I plan on doing in my lifetime, this small chuck has already added a chapter to my spiritual pilgrimage. Now you may one wonder that is? It’s okay, I didn’t know what it meant either before introducing myself to tourism courses here at school. The best way I could describe it is the journey that you embark on while you are traveling through reflection and beauty of your destination. All of these trips and adventures help to contribute to one’s overall pilgrimage. As many of you know from one of my previous blogs, Hawaii’s Tourism and Its Effects, I noted my dream destination is Hawaii. As this many seem as a very typical travel location for many, I believe Hawaii has something more to offer me than just the beautiful scenery. Throughout this blog I will discuss my anticipated pilgrimage though travel and how I will get the most out of my adventures – especially my dream trip!

After watching the movies for this week, The Way and The Bucket List, we can see prime examples of spiritual pilgrimages though the journey these movies b both go through. As I have seen The Bucket List before, I chose to watch it again knowing the quality of the film. When looking back on my journey when I’m older, I want to say that I have truly achieved the life I wanted to live. As traveling has already been a major part, I know my future holds many more adventures that will contribute to the person I am. Looking into my dream destination, I know that this trip will be planned accordingly to my best standards knowing that I want the most out of it. Preparing for any disaster that could occur on the trip is necessary, as noted in my last blog. In addition, having plans and the proper point of contact for any activity or reservation is essential. Although I will not plan each minute to the tee, it is important to know the general activities and specific plans for adventures on the trip.

In understanding why Hawaii is my dream location, there are many contributing factors that bring it up to the top of my list. For one, the idea of being on an island is a very prominent factor as I have not been to one before. In addition, the warm climate with the sandy beaches and the beautiful terrain are strong influences that add to my interest in this state. While many would probably choose an international destination, I believe that this location is a prized possession of the US. Another reason why Hawaii means so much to me is due to the fact that my grandmother admired it so much. As she took many trips there and loved the show Hawaii Five-O, the respect for this tropical state was passed down to me. Knowing that I can take in all the experiences it has to offer and truly enjoy the purest form of nature in front of me is a key factor to me. I hope to not only take that away but learn about the cultural influences and societal differences in their community.

In looking at specifics of my trip, I would want to go to visit the botanical gardens as well as hiking trails. In addition, I would love to swim, enjoy the fresh seafood, and even try surfboarding. When doing these types of activities, the prominence of practicing tourism in the most pure and safest way will be weighing heavily on my mind. Knowing that tourism can have negative impacts on these tropical locations, I have pledged to myself to not interfere or disturb any wildlife or contribute to the damage that has already been done to the land. This is one standard I always set and will continue to use on my spiritual pilgrimage, as I want to be helping to dilute the problem, not adding to it! Learning all these things from this course and others have helped me understand the importance of keeping the areas we travel better than the way we found it.

When reflecting on this trip once I return home, I hope that I can say I embarked on a new journey that changed my perspective of the world. While this might sound quite drastic, I know that all my experiences with travel thus far have helped to broaden my knowledge in many different aspects. The interactions that I will have with the residents, environment, and myself will be those that I can hold near and dear to me for a long time. As far as when this may happen, who knows, but hopefully soon! As we are in the middle of a pandemic, I know that it will occur many years down the road. I want to be able to fully immerse myself with new environment that I am visiting and learn the most I possibly can. As I am not rushing my personal timeline, I hope by the time I am 30 I can add this trip to my spiritual pilgrimage and check it off my bucket list.

Posted in Hospitality & Tourism Management

Hawaii’s Tourism and Its Effects

Posted on by samasoklis
Photo by Sean O. on Unsplash

When you’re a little kid, one always dreams of the perfect vacation for you and the family to go on. This dream for me was a trip to Hawaii with my most cherished relatives to soak up the sun and enjoy the different activities the land has to provide. As I grew up watching the show Hawaii Five-O, my admiration to travel to the land has grown stronger. With the warm weather and the beautiful scenery, this destination is still at the top of my list to this day. This spot is a popular location for those really looking to get away and enjoy their time in a tropic getaway. In addition, the culture and environment adds a great deal of significance providing visitors with a fun yet educational experience. As numerous tourists travel there yearly from around the globe, we are going to uncover the main impacts from tourists visiting these precious lands.

A major factor that impacts Hawaii head on is the transportation emissions that are created from tourists and travel. As Hawaii is a set of islands located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, getting there puts their environment at high risk for contamination. From those traveling out of the US, one does not always realize the amount of energy needed to get a plane from California to Hawaii. An article from the Sierra Club of Hawai’i notes that annual tourists from these airplanes release about 2,295,385 metric tons of carbon dioxide yearly just from travel between the US and Hawaii. Not considering travel from other countries, the carbon footprint continues to increase while beaches stay overcrowded and nature is impacted head on. This shows the main need of sustainable planes, producing less emissions into our oceans and atmosphere. Achieving this would be a major step for Hawaii and protecting its ever so precious environment that is available to tourists.

While Hawaii’s tourism has benefited them economically, it has hurt Native Hawaiians culture overall. As big corporations and industries have come into the state, they have taken away many economic opportunities for locals. The article I found discusses how impacts from tourism leaves natives scraping by trying to make a living. Not only has their culture been depleted, but many have ended up facing many financial challenges leading them into poverty and crime. In addition, this has allowed for a culture invasion creating an altering vision of what reality truly is for those living on land. As numerous people come and go, their space isn’t being protected, preserved, or respected by those visiting. This creates a stigma between tourists and natives that allows for distrust in visitors on these endangered lands. Preserving their culture should be at the top of our list, as this history is necessary and imperative for future generations.

Looking at the halt in tourism during this pandemic has allowed for residents of Hawaii to truly see how visitors use this destination as their getaway. While this what helps to drive their economy, many came to the realization of reality during this pandemic. An article discusses the impacts from COVID-19 and how tourism has left its mark on the native community there. With unemployment reaching an all-time high of 34%, over a third of the population is left to scrabble to gain benefits. While funding is not being generated, this makes it even hard on their economy showing the dependency on the tourism industry. Don’t get me wrong, we want people to explore and admire the land, but seeing the dependence of tourism in making the state thrive is truly sad and eye opening. The article mentions how the pandemic also caused some people to make the rash decision of traveling, leaving natives at severe risk with minimal resources.

Overall, there is a lot one can gain from the information provided from these articles. They have truly opened my eyes to the way tourism embellish the great state, allowing for one to think of it more as a destination hotspot rather than a cultural and environmental experience. When I have the opportunity to travel there, I hope that they have enacted some strong sustainability plans for travel as well as protection rules for the environment. Knowing that I will be there for the culture and environment rather than going “for fun” truly makes the experience more exciting to look forward to. Taking all proper precautions to cherish and protect the land of Hawaii is key, as we aim to grow all cultures collectively through best practices and protection.