You can see the sense of relief on the faces of shopkeepers and restaurant and hotel staff as they welcome you in. Borders are open, restrictions mostly lifted and Morocco 's impressive cities, magnificent mountains and expansive beaches are welcoming visitors once again.
In 2018, almost 10 million people visited Morocco, but the pandemic put a wrench in the works for tourism, and less than half as many visited in 2019. While levels have still to catch up with pre-pandemic times, the Minister of Tourism, Fatim-Zahra Ammor, reports that 3.4 million tourists arrived in the first half of 2022. She's hoping to push that to 8 million in total in 2022 and a whopping 10.5 million next year.
Tourism is one of the key industries driving economic growth in Morocco, so it's no wonder that there's that palpable sense of relief now that tourists are coming back. Numbers are still low, but hopes are high.
So if you're one of the tourists planning to visit Morocco soon, what do you need to know before you go?
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Introducing Morocco

What are the requirements for entry?
Morocco has declared an end to the latest wave of the Omicron variant and cases of COVID have dropped substantially to single-digit figures of positive cases. That's not to say it's over, though, and there are still requirements, such as wearing a mask on public transport and when you enter a hotel or restaurant.
To enter the country, you’ll need to download and complete the new, streamlined health form that is also handed out on flights and at airports. It takes account of Monkeypox as well as COVID, but only one case of the former has been recorded so far in Morocco.
You'll also need a vaccination certificate or proof of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure. Children under 12 are exempt from these rules.
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A stunning concourse in Menara Airport, Marrakesh © pio3 / Shutterstock

What's the airport situation?
While air traffic controllers were poised to strike in August, they have been persuaded to stay in their posts after recent successful negotiations. As far as luggage is concerned, there is none of the upheaval being experienced in European airports. But keep an eye on the airport authority's ONDA Twitter account (only in French) as they are reporting issues such as flight delays caused by blockages on incoming flights from Europe.
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A trader in the market at Asni near Marrakesh © James Strachan / Getty Images

Are there any disruptions to be aware of?
Protests: Occasionally there are protests outside government buildings on Avenue Mohammed V in Rabat, and in Casablanca. There'll likely be a protest about the rising cost of living in the coming weeks. Protests are generally peaceful but if you don't want to get swept up in crowds of people, follow advice from your embassy and avoid the areas on protest days.
Wildfires: Just like in other areas of the Mediterranean, wildfires have broken out along the coast of Morocco and destroyed acres of forest in the Rif Mountains, specifically the Bouhachem National Park around the tourist-friendly towns of Larache, Chefchaouen and Tetouan . Talassemtane National Park has also been affected, particularly the area of the park near Akchour. The areas affected are all popular hiking routes so if you're heading out, be sure to seek the advice of a knowledgeable guide.
Drought: Morocco has been in a severe drought for some years. If you're going to the Sahara, try to choose eco-sensitive camps re-use their grey water, or have a sustainable water filtration systems and don't dump waste in dry riverbeds. In the cities, you can be supportive of the environment by taking quick showers instead of bathing, and choosing a hotel or riad sporting La Clef Verte logo. These establishments promote sensible use of natural resources as well as good working conditions for staff.
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The Marrakech Museum courtyard © Andrea Obzerova / Shutterstock

Are museums open?
Closed for renovations now is the Batha Museum in Fez but a sparkly new version is due to open its doors again in January 2023, located as before in the old summer palace of the sultan with its lovely garden. The Heri Es-Souani granaries in Meknes are also being restored and are scheduled to reopen sometime in 2023 (insha'Allah). And slated to open in September this year is the spectacular, Zaha Hadid-designed Grand Theatre in Rabat.
The award-winning Yves Saint Laurent Museum Marrakech reopens on September 17 after the summer break with a new temporary exhibition that will feature paintings of Morocco by French artist Théophile-Jean Delaye.
At the Majorelle Garden, gates open earlier than usual at 8am so you can beat the heat and the crowds. You can book online for easy access, too. In the garden, the Pierre Bergé Museum of Berber Art has just reopened after a period of renovation.
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Is anything exciting planned for the rest of 2022?
After a couple of years of no festivals, Morocco is ready to throw a party for the rest of 2022, and in 2023 everything is expected to be back to normal.
September: Dance your way to the Into the Wild boutique festival on September 23 and 24 in Dakhla. The festival is an offshoot of the Oasis Festival in Marrakesh and features electronic, house and techno music, and wellness activities like yoga on the beach.
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October: On another spiritual level, the Fes Festival of Sufi Culture will take place in Fez from October 22-29. With a theme of Science and Conscience, there will be masterclasses and debates around Sufism, the esoteric branch of Islam, all in French. Perhaps more accessible, though, are the international music performances. You can enjoy Indian dance and Qawwali music, songs from Azerbaijan and performances by Sufi brotherhoods from Morocco and Kosovo. There's also Christian chant from Brittany in France, Sufi chants and the mesmeric whirling dervishes from Konya in Turkey.
November: The Marrakech International Film Festival is scheduled for November 11-19. Keep an eye on the website to see what movies will be screened and who will be on the jury. Some movies are shown on a screen in Djemaa El Fna Square that are free for everyone.
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The famous blue city of Chefchaouen, Morocco © komyvgory / Getty Images

What useful apps should I download before my trip?
If you plan to travel across Morocco, you should download the app for the ONCF train company and its Supratours buses that serve towns with no railway. The other top bus company, CTM, has a website showing their daily schedules. An important thing to note is that you can't book busses or trains online with a foreign bank card. But booking in advance, especially for busy destinations like Chefchaouen, is pretty much essential these days. The solution is to book through Marrakech Tickets who will send you your tickets electronically (or even deliver them to your riad if you're staying in Marrakesh) for a small fee, some of which goes towards supporting local vulnerable children.
While many Moroccans speak English, the local language is Darija (Moroccan Arabic), with some French thrown in (and Spanish in the north). If you want to impress the locals, Darija Direct is an app that will help you get to grips with the Darija language.
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In the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, an alluring and less punishing alternative to thru-hiking is taking shape. The High Road, a new long-distance pathway, allows you to walk from Berkshire village to village, passing through deciduous woodlands and traversing gusty ridgelines that offer views of farms, ponds, and New York’s Taconic Range.
You can travel light, refuel at restaurants and spend the night at a cozy inn before pushing onward the next day.
The High Road will open in pieces and one day span the entire spine of the Berkshires. Its first section, running 10 miles from Pittsfield to Lenox, was unveiled in 2021. And after two years of taking long, calming strolls against the backdrop of the pandemic, I knew it was time to treat myself to a more decadent “walking holiday” through the lush mountains where Herman Melville penned Moby Dick and where Wilco launched the Solid Sound music festival at Mass MoCA.
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The High Road in the Berkshires © Miles Howard

A US-style Camino walking holiday
The concept of the walking holiday—a scenic foot journey on which you eat and rest in towns along the way, carrying little but a change of clothes, water and snacks—is integral to the High Road. The Berkshire Natural Resources Council, the land stewardship organization that created The High Road, found inspiration in Spain’s Camino de Santiago when fleshing out plans for their own town-to-town path.
The idea was to introduce Americans to this gentler, more accessible mode of traveling across the countryside by foot. While The High Road passes over bonafide mountains, the terrain never feels too rocky or steep. And the path’s immersive stretches through conservation woodlands are the perfect place to let your thoughts run wild and free.
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The starting point for Berkshires' The High Road © Miles Howard

Planning your High Road walk: no car is needed
The High Road’s passage through Pittsfield and Lenox makes it possible to access the trail without a car. You can catch an intercity bus or train to Pittsfield from Boston or New York. Both towns are also serviced by Berkshire Regional Transit Authority buses. From Pittsfield, you can complete the first section of The High Road in a single day, spending the night at a Lenox B&B.
If your soles are tender the next morning, you can catch the bus back to Pittsfield. But if you’re determined to walk on, there’s a more interesting alternative to backtracking the entire way. A selection of linked trails through nearby Kennedy Park and Mass Audubon’s Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary allows you to loop back to The High Road as it crosses the top of Lenox Mountain. This detour back to the official route is depicted on the BNRC’s High Road map.
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Markers on the trail of The High Road © Miles Howard

The journey begins in Pittsfield
I prepared for my long walk at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge, an aromatic joint in downtown Pittsfield with artwork on the walls and cheddar scallion scones the size of a baby’s head. The official trailhead for The High Road is at Bousquet Mountain ski resort on the south side of town. (Hiker parking is available at the resort.) The High Road will connect directly to downtown Pittsfield in the years ahead. But in the spirit of walking holidays, I decided to walk 3 miles from Dottie’s to the Bousquet trailhead.
After stocking up on beef jerky and seasoned nuts at the Berkshire General Store, I warmed up with a lively amble past the traffic on South Street. The storefronts and traffic lights receded and suddenly I was wandering past cottages and leafy estates, following South Mountain Road and Tamarack Road to the foot of Bousquet Mountain. Here a High Road trailhead kiosk beckoned beside the vacant ski lifts.
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A chance to relax and look out over the Berkshires on The High Road © Miles Howard

Kicking off with a climb
The backbone of The High Road’s Pittsfield-to-Lenox section is Yokun Ridge, which boasts over 6300 acres of preserved forests and wetlands, as well as several defined summits. Blazed with orange trail markers, The High Road approaches the ridge by switchbacking up the wooded haunch of Bousquet. It’s a solid climb with roughly 700 feet of elevation gain. But with my light daypack and the promise of a shower and a hefty dinner at the end of the day, it somehow felt less cumbersome.
As I approached the ridge, I was rewarded with a breathtaking mountain overlook (and a stone bench) at Mahanna Cobble. While The High Road visits several vistas, the view from Mahanna Cobble consists entirely of undeveloped lands: a rolling, rustling sea of trees and nothing else.
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Cairns that help to mark the route on The High Road © Miles Howard

Across the Yokun Ridge
Leaving the forest of Bousquet Mountain behind, The High Road partially levels out and snakes through sunnier patches of yellowy tall grass atop Yokun Ridge. Piles of rocks (called “ cairns ”) mark the path from Mahanna Cobble to Yokun Seat, one of the Yokun summits. From here, I gazed west to the blue expanse of Richmond Pond, savoring the breeze and a fistful of nuts.
The gradual ascent to Lenox Mountain—the high point of The High Road’s first section—took me back into the woods. But the thin boreal trees and mosses that grow at higher altitudes give this section of The High Road an enchanted atmosphere. I half-expected to see elves pop out from behind a boulder as I made the final push to the Lenox Mountain lookout.
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Walking through the woods on The High Road © Miles Howard

A meditative break in the journey
If climbing the Yokun Ridge feels closer to a hike, the long and merciful descent toward Lenox is more of a meditative stroll. Following little-used dirt roads through corridors of oak and beech, The High Road widens and smoothens. Here I let my thoughts wander from the metaphysical (“what if all of mankind has one collective soul?”) to the elemental  (“what kind of beer should I have tonight?”)
After finishing the last of my jerky beside the glassy waters of Monks Pond, I felt the mileage in my ankles. But the sound of other people—the first I’d heard since Bousquet!—quickened my pace. After crossing an active paved road and descending some wooden stairs into a more spacious pocket of forest, I found myself on the grassy campus of Kripalu, watching fellow travelers arrive for yoga classes. This marks the official end of The High Road’s first section.
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A bridge on The High Road © Miles Howard

Sustenance begins with free champagne
I wasn’t in Lenox village yet, but a final 1.5-mile walk along West Street took me from Kripalu’s gates past the Tanglewood Music Center and into a hilltop hub of red brick buildings and historic Victorian-style homes. Upon checking into The Constance, a lovely boutique hotel steps away from the village center, I was offered a complimentary glass of champagne and enjoyed it on the balcony, my walking shoes and legs still caked with dirt and mud from my High Road traverse.
Hours later, showered and coiffed, I sat in an Adirondack chair beneath twinkling lights outside Pizzeria Boema, digging into a wood-fired pie heaped with fresh arugula, pepperoni and a hot honey drizzle. With a piney pale ale by my side, I watched friends and families laugh and eat against the purple dusk and the surrounding dark woods from which I had emerged earlier.
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From towns to trails
The High Road is an alluring destination for visitors, but it’s also a way of connecting Berkshire towns and their residents to local wild spaces. This is exemplified by the alternate detour back to Yokun Ridge, which I committed to taking back to Pittsfield the next day, after assessing my energy and wolfing down a spinach and onion confit omelet on the flowery patio at Haven Cafe.
A simple 0.8-mile walk past a large cemetery on Main Street took me to Aspinwall Road and the south gateway of Kennedy Park, where a labyrinth of groomed paths and carriage roads takes you into hardwood forests. Just like that, I had gone from town to trails once again.
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Grabbing lunch just off The High Road © Miles Howard

Taking a detour
Since the detour from Lenox back to The High Road isn’t part of the official route, you have some freedom on where to wander. Not quite sated by my omelet, I decided to take a page out of Lord of the Rings (a narrative about an epic walking holiday) and enjoy a second breakfast. I followed the Woolsey path from Kennedy Park into a nearby plaza of shops and cafes, where I procured a beautifully-sculpted chocolate dog and some truffles from the Chocolate Springs Cafe.
The High Road will one day include more tributary trails that offer direct access to nearby outlets for grub and local goods. But it will also offer more opportunities for people to stumble across The High Road by accident. Watching shoppers at the Chocolate Springs Cafe, I wondered if any of them knew that you can walk here.
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Mass Audubon's Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Lenox, Massachusetts © Miles Howard

The last steps
A shaded walk up a dirt road from Kennedy Park took me to Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, where the final push back to the High Road route became more of an ascent. After passing a reedy pond, I wheezed my way up the flank of Lenox Mountain, admiring several laurel plants along the way, and re-emerged onto the familiar peak. But with more thunder clouds overhead this time, the view felt moodier and more austere than it had the prior afternoon.
That’s the beauty of a walking holiday. Whether it’s the color and character of the countryside or the offerings of settlements along the way, you’ll never know exactly what you’re walking into. I braced for thunder for the final leg of my walk, from Lenox Mountain back to Bousquet. Instead, I made a juicier discovery. The ski resort’s in-house restaurant, Lift Bistropub, had just opened. I was the first diner to arrive. With nearly 20 miles of walking under my belt, I sat out on the deck, and ordered the mushroom burger, contemplating the road I’d traveled…and the road to come.
You should try it sometime.
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This month, a new fast, secure and convenient service will allow Americans to renew their passports online. The pilot program is currently open to the first 25,000 applicants before being rolled out to the rest of the country later this year.
No more mailing in your passport and nervously waiting to make sure it makes it to the US State Department. Thanks to a new executive order, Americans needing to renew a passport can do so online.
How to apply online to renew your passport
The pilot program opened this month to the first 25,000 applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. To apply, travelers must first create and activate a MyTravelGov account. They must be at least 25 years old and possess a passport that is up for renewal. That is one that was issued over nine years ago but less than 15 years ago (i.e., a passport that was issued between 2007 and 2013) and is set to expire within one year or is already expired. They must have their passport to hand and must not previously have reported it as lost or stolen.
The service will allow applicants to upload a digital passport photo and to pay for the service using a credit/debit card or ACH (Automated Clearing House) payment. Both passport books and cards can be renewed online together. It is not available for people with a passport book who want a passport card only, OR those who have a passport card and want a passport book only.
How long are online processing times?
The service is still in its testing stages and processing times are about the same as those passports that are up for renewal by mail, which is about eight to 11 weeks. Applying online is not recommended if you're traveling internationally in less than five weeks.

It's not recommended to apply online if you're traveling internationally in less than five weeks © Ariel Skelley / Getty Images

When will the online passport renewal service fully launch?
If you miss out on the pilot program and are up for renewal soon, you still might have to do it by snail mail.
Though the order directs the Department of State to "design and deliver a new online passport renewal experience that does not require any physical documents to be mailed," it'll still be several weeks before it is rolled out to the general public.
An official for the State Department told Lonely Planet the pilot program would help it test the system and ensure everything works as designed. It aims to roll out the secure online service to the public in fall 2022.
Why is the service being introduced?
On December 13, President Joe Biden signed an executive order requiring several government agencies to improve their customer experience to save what is sometimes called "time taxes," where people spend their time trying to complete a task with their government. "Every interaction between the Federal Government and the public, whether it involves renewing a passport or calling for a status update on a farm loan application, should be seen as an opportunity for the Government to save an individual's time (and thus reduce 'time taxes') and to deliver the level of service that the public expects and deserves," the order stated.

Americans can now renew their passports online: here's how to do it

Bhutan has an enviable reputation as the premium version of the Himalayas. Magnificent mountains, deeply traditional Buddhist culture, air so clean you can smell the glacial meltwater – all this can be had for the price of the daily fee that forms the core of the Bhutanese model for high-value, low-impact tourism.
And until recently, it was a price discerning tourists were happy to pay. For a daily charge of US$200 to US$250 per person pre-pandemic, visitors had access to one of the most unspoiled corners of the Himalayas – an immaculate Buddhist kingdom hailed as the closest thing on earth to Shangri-La.
Bhutan is radically revamping its tourism model – instead of paying a daily fee of US$200-250 for an all-inclusive package, tourists will now be charged a daily Sustainable Development Fee of US$200, with extra costs for food, accommodation, transport and everything else that used to be part of the package. Visitors will no longer have to join an organized tour, but travel to Bhutan just got a lot more expensive.

Introducing Bhutan

How did the old daily fee structure for Bhutan work?
In the pre-pandemic world, visitors to Bhutan paid a daily fee of US$250 per person to be in the country – enough to make budget travelers to the Himalayas weep! On top of this, a US$30–40 daily surcharge is applied for single travelers and couples, placing Bhutan up there with the most expensive destinations on earth.
Though there was a cheaper way to access Bhutan, depending on what time of year you visited. The daily fee dropped to US$200 from December to February and June to August, coinciding with periods when the weather was either too cold or too cloudy to get the best from the Himalayan setting.
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Paro Taktsang, a sacred Vajrayana Himalayan Buddhist temple in Paro, Bhutan © narvikk / Getty Images

What did tourists get for US$250 per day?
In reality, the headline figure of ‘US$250 per day’ was always misleading. The daily fee mandated by the Tourism Council of Bhutan was actually the fixed minimum charge for an impressive all-inclusive package, including accommodation, meals, transport, admission to monasteries, shrines and museums and the services of an expert guide. In the world of all-inclusive tourism, the daily fee for Bhutan was actually a bargain.
Having paid this daily charge, visitors were free to plan out an itinerary with a Bhutanese tour agency, stringing together such legendary sights as the medieval dzongs (fortress monasteries) at Paro, Thimphu and Punakha and the Tiger’s Nest monastery at Taktshang, reached via a half-day trek on a trail north of Paro.
The average trip packaged together a bit of monastery-hopping, a bit of trekking, a bit of gazing in awe at mountain views, a bit of spectating at archery tournaments, a bit of wildlife spotting and a daily dose of ema datse (chilies stewed with cheese) and other Bhutanese delicacies – typically served with bonus dried chilis on the side.
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Terraced rice farming in Punakha, Bhutan © Getty Images / iStockphoto

How has the daily fee benefited Bhutan?
At the core of the daily fee model was a US$65 per day sustainable development charge, which went directly to the Bhutanese government to fund projects from community education to conservation, carbon-neutral infrastructure and organic farming. These measures contributed to Bhutan becoming the first carbon-negative country on earth in 2017 – actually absorbing more carbon dioxide than it produces.
The model delivered dividends for the Bhutanese exchequer. In 2019, the last year before the pandemic, Bhutan welcomed 315,599 high-value tourists, contributing US$345.88 million to the national coffers, but leaving a minimal footprint on Bhutan’s culture and environment.
What does sustainable development look like on the ground? Well, with tourism relieving the pressure on agriculture to sustain the economy, Bhutan has managed to keep 71% of its territory under forest cover, compared to just 25% in Nepal and 11% in Bangladesh, and some 95% of Bhutan’s electricity is produced using hydropower.
Escaping Thimphu: where to go to find Bhutan’s hidden treasures

A street scene in Mongar, Bhutan © angela Meier / Shutterstock

Has the daily fee helped ordinary Bhutanese people?
In exchange for opening their mountain home to high-value, low-impact tourism, the Bhutanese have achieved a high standard of living by regional standards. Compared to neighboring Nepal, Bhutan spends nearly 40% more on education, with half the unemployment rate and half as many people living under the poverty line. Impressively, almost 100% of the population has access to electricity and clean water.
As well as untouched nature and encounters with landscapes and cultures that make mountaineers and anthropologists go weak at the knees, Bhutan is also famous for its gross national happiness – an innovative model for assessing the successes and achievements of Bhutan’s part-monarchy, part-clergy and part-elected system of government.
Using measures such as job satisfaction, sense of community, psychological well-being and religious karma, Bhutan is considered to be the happiest country in the world. Bhutan’s tour-only tourism model – with visitors supervised by a guide at all times – has also protected Bhutan’s Buddhist culture from the worst excesses of mass tourism. Indeed, compassion, spirituality and a clean environment are still valued as highly as material possessions.
Getting the best out of your trip to Bhutan

Centenary farmers market in Thimphu, Bhutan © Caroline Pang / Alamy Stock Photo

What does the new daily fee structure for Bhutan look like when it reopens in September?
There is little doubt that the daily fee model for tourism played a big role in boosting Bhutan’s famous levels of national satisfaction. And when Bhutan reopens for unquarantined tourism on September 23, 2022, the sustainable development charge will rise from US$65 per day to US$200 per day for most visitors, pushing even more revenue to Bhutan’s development projects.
The government has already confirmed that the increased development charge will be used to offset the carbon footprint of tourism, improve carbon-neutral infrastructure and upskill workers in Bhutan’s tourism sector, supporting Bhutan’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
So why now? Here’s what Dr Tandi Dorji, Chairperson of the Tourism Council of Bhutan had to say: "Covid-19 has allowed us to reset – to rethink how the sector can best be structured and operated so that it not only benefits Bhutan economically but socially as well while keeping carbon footprints low. In the long run, our goal is to create high-value experiences for visitors, and well-paying and professional jobs for our citizens."
However, the US$200 daily fee will be on top of charges for accommodation, food, transport, entry to sights and fees for guides. If the Bhutanese tourism model was high-value, low-impact before, the new model takes the idea and supercharges it – in the future, Bhutan will be reserved for visitors with big budgets who are happy to spend big for the perks of low-carbon travel and not have to share these wonders with a crowd.
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Jomolhari Base Camp in Thimphu, Bhutan © DUCOIN DAVID / Getty

Are there any changes for travelers from India, Bangladesh and Maldives?
Under the old tourism model, visitors from neighboring India, Bangladesh and Maldives were exempt from both the sustainable development fee and the need to join an organized tour. This generous tourism policy – and a shared land border – contributed to Indian travelers making up 73% of visitors to Bhutan.
During the pandemic, however, a new daily fee equivalent to US$16 was introduced for travelers from previously exempt countries. The government has indicated that this is likely to rise in the near future, changing the travel dynamic for South Asian travelers significantly.
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Sunrise at Chele La, the highest pass of Bhutan © Getty Images / iStockphoto

So is Bhutan still worth traveling to?
Of course! – though with the higher daily fees, the experience will be more expensive and more exclusive, than ever. Bhutan was always a once-in-a-lifetime, save-up-for-years kind of destination, so all that has really changed is the need to save up for longer before coming. The wonders that you’ll see on arrival – the eye-stretching mountains, the magnificently ornamented monasteries, the deeply traditional Buddhist culture – haven’t changed at all.
And tourist fees are the future of travel – Thailand imposed a US$9 tourist tax in 2022, Venice is poised to levy a €10 entry fee from 2023 and a raft of tourist taxes and surcharges are already in place across the EU. The difference in Bhutan is that you just need deeper pockets.
In exchange for the new higher costs, visitors will be able to see Bhutan in a much more impulsive way than in the past, freed from the obligation to make all arrangements through a Bhutanese tour operator. The new model may also help reduce the small but tangible divide between locals and visitors chaperoned on organized tours.
Our positive take for the future? With the sustainable development fee funding new projects from increased hydropower to the electrification of public transport, that famously clean mountain air maybe even cleaner and fragranced even more keenly with the scent of glacial meltwater and blue pines.
How to book a trip to Bhutan: everything you need to know

Bhutan's new sky-high tourist fees: are they worth it?

Summer may be drawing to a close, but it looks like the season of air travel chaos will continue well into the fall, particularly in Europe, where staffing issues and strike action continue to impact operations at major airlines and airports.
One of the most significant disruptions looks set to happen in Spain, where Ryanair staff have planned weekly strikes for the rest of the year, from August 15 (next Monday) until January 7, 2023, while in Portugal, baggage handling workers are taking several days of industrial action in August.
Airport chaos in Europe: how to manage delays, cancellations and strikes
Cancelations are also a recurring problem. Of the total number of flights canceled worldwide this month, 60% of them are in Europe. Aviation analytics group Cirium shows that over 15,700 flights scheduled in Augus t have been canceled there. Suffice to say; the chaos isn't ending soon as British Airways announced it had canceled 10,000 flights until the end of October to cope with the pressure due to staff shortages.
If you're flying to or within Europe in the coming months, these are the disruptions you need to be aware of in some of the most popular destinations.

It's not going to be easy to get in and out of Spain this fall; a flamenco show at Plaza de España, Seville © Alex Tihonovs / Shutterstock

Upcoming flight distruptions in Spain include many Ryanair and easyJet routes
In Spain, Ryanair cabin crew will stage another round of industrial strike action on Monday, August 15. It will see up to 1700 workers walk out every Monday to Thursday from next week until at least January 2023 as negotiations for improved pay and working conditions fail to reach a satisfying conclusion between the unions USO and SITCPLA and airline bosses.
The airports where staff will stage a walkout include Alicante, Barcelona, Girona, Ibiza, Madrid, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Santiago de Compostela, Seville and Valencia.
During the first two weeks of industrial action, it is anticipated that 1.4 million passengers will be affected. But if you're flying to or from Spain soon, Ryanair said it expects to incur no disruptions to its daily flight schedule in August or September. Most of its staff are represented by a different agency, CCOO, and bosses have already reached a pay agreement with them. "Ryanair expects that these latest threatened strikes, which involve only a handful of our Spanish cabin crew, will have zero impact on our Spanish flights or schedules in August or September," a spokesperson for the low-cost carrier said in a statement. Nothing has been said yet about what will happen later in the year.
Similarly, Spanish aviation faces further disruptions later this month, with pilots from easyJet staging three 72-hour strikes between August 12 and 14, 19 and 21, and 27 and 29.

Barcelona is one of the airports set to be impacted by Ryanair industrial action this year © Getty Images

Portugal faces potential strike action at the end of August
Industrial action planned for August 19, 20, and 21 was called off. The strike would have impacted major airports the ANA airport authority runs, including Lisbon and Faro, the gateway to the Algarve as aviation staff represented by the Civil Aviation Workers' Union (SINTAC) and the Commercial Aviation Staff Union (SQAC) continue to fight for improved pay and working conditions. A truce was reached earlier this week between bosses and unions but baggage handling staff are planning to strike at the end of the month in Portugal.
The action will impact Lisbon airport, Faro, Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport, Flores, Horta, Ponta Delgada, Porto, and Santa Maria. It will coincide with the UK Bank Holiday weekend, a busy time for travel to Portugal, taking place on August 26, 27, and 28.
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France's staff shortages are still an issue
Air travel in France was hampered by aviation strikes this summer, particularly in Paris, but none are scheduled for fall. According to Reuters, France's primary carrier, Air France, is ramping up capacity quicker than other European airlines. Staff shortages are still an issue, but some popular transatlantic routes are returning this winter to meet demand, including the Newark to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport route starting December 12 and the new shuttle service of six daily flights between Paris and New York -John F. Kennedy.
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Introducing Germany

Germany's Lufthansa is still cancelling flights
A spokesperson for Lufthansa said the worst of the flight chaos is over for Germany's national carrier. Board member Christina Foerster told German media that "flight operations are largely stabilized" but stressed the situation remains challenging as they deal with the fallout of peak season staff shortages, adding, "nevertheless, this summer we are dealing with a level of sick leave that is not easy to offset."
Cancelations still hamper some domestic routes, but Foerster said the situation would improve significantly at the end of October.
Meanwhile, Frankfurt airport, Germany's busiest airport and the central hub for transatlantic connections, is still feeling the pressure and has reduced its hourly flights from 96 to 88 until further notice. The move comes as the airport continues to struggle with labor shortages. By placing caps on daily operations, the airport hopes it will lead to a reduction in canceled or delayed flights for passengers.
Traveling to Germany? 6 questions you need to ask before you go
Italy's flight staffing shortages lead to guidance to 'travel light'
No further strike action is scheduled in Italy after July saw several walkouts among aviation staff. However, the Italian government has warned passengers to 'travel light' as staff shortages continue to cause problems in Italian airport terminals, particularly in baggage handling. "Travelers are advised to only carry hand luggage […] to avoid long waiting times for the recovery of their belongings," a press release from the Italian Ministry of Sustainable Infrastructure and Mobility (MIMS) reads.

Long delays, lines, crowds and queues are common features of air travel this year © NurPhoto / Getty Images

Ireland's continued flight delays and lost baggage
Dublin Airport was plagued with delays at security and check-in lanes this summer, but the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) said those wait times had been significantly reduced as the airport continues to hire more staff to bring levels to "in and around" what they were before the pandemic hit. "We are happy with the progress that we are making, and we are confident that that is going to continue on into August," the DAA's Graeme McQueen said in a statement, adding that the ongoing hiring process will reduce delays even further in the coming weeks.
However, flight delays are continuing. Recently, the airport has experienced between 50 and 100 flight delays daily. Additionally, lost baggage is another issue at the airport, with over 4000 bags reported misplaced or missing this summer. In response to the issue, the DAA is working closely with baggage handling companies to ensure luggage is reunited with passengers.
Traveling to Dublin this summer? 8 questions to ask yourself before you go
UK airports are starting to limit capacity
Facing severe staff shortages, officials at London Heathrow are capping the number of passengers departing the airport daily to 100,000 until September 11. Despite the caps, Heathrow's CEO John Holland-Kaye said in a statement that airlines have already sold an excess of seats for the summer "and so we are asking our airline partners to stop selling summer tickets to limit the impact on passengers."
In response to the caps at Heathrow, British Airways has limited new bookings and is canceling 10,000 flights until the end of October. The airline says it will make it easier to rebook passengers onto new flights if they face any cancellations.
The airline said the decision was part of "pre-emptive action to reduce our schedule this summer to give customers certainty about their travel plans and to build more resilience into our operation given the ongoing challenges facing the entire aviation industry."
The cancelations mainly impact short-haul routes less than three hours from London. But the problems aren't confined to Heathrow. London's other main airport Gatwick is also capping daily flights until the end of October.
Traveling to London this summer? 8 questions to ask yourself before you go
The Netherlands is reimbursing passengers
Following chaotic scenes at Amsterdam's Schipol Airport this summer with hours-long queues and last-minute cancelations, the airport has limited flights until the end of October to about 72,500 daily passengers. It is also compensating passengers who incurred extra charges during the period of widespread disruption between April 23 and August 11. Passengers who had to rebook a flight or change a ticket during this timeframe are covered in the reimbursement plan, as well as passengers who had to spend extra time in Amsterdam due to excessively long lines at the airport. Passengers can request reimbursement here.

Passengers stranded in Palma de Mallorca airport © zixia / Shutterstock

The bottom line for European flight travel in fall 2022: Buckle up for ongoing air travel chaos
Airports were unprepared to deal with the pent-up demand for travel when coronavirus restrictions were significantly lifted this summer. An estimated 400,000 aviation staff were fired, furloughed, or threatened with redundancy in the spring and summer of 2020,  and bosses were slow to hire and train new starters. In some cases, recruits were offered below-par contracts, making a return to the industry less appealing than before the pandemic. Inflation and stagnated wages within the travel sector have triggered strikes across the board. These problems are unlikely to be resolved before the end of the year, so disruptions will be a feature of autumn and even winter travel no matter where you're flying from. Speaking to The Points Guy, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said air travel would not return to normal operations until the summer of 2023.

Europe air travel problems to continue: these are the destinations facing major disruptions this fall

Pōhue Bay, an idyllic and culturally significant area on the rugged southern coastline of Hawaiʻi Island, is now part of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, saving it from potential development into homes, resorts and golf courses.
The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit land preservation group, transferred the ownership and stewardship of the 16,451-acre Kahuku-Pōhue parcel—from Māmalohoa Highway to the shoreline, which includes the bay—to the National Park Services in July.

Pōhue is one of the few white sand beaches found on the southern part of the island of Hawaiʻi © J.Ferracane / NPS Photo

New protection for the area's endangered species
This area is a critical habitat for a variety of endangered species, including honu (Hawaiian green sea turtles), honuʻea (hawksbill sea turtles), ʻīlio holo i ka uaua (Hawaiian monk seals) and the rare Hawaiian red shrimp, ʻōpaeʻula, that live in the area’s anchialine ponds. (These are landlocked pools with a mix of fresh water and saltwater.) Native and migratory birds, like the ʻiwa (great frigatebird), koaʻa kea (white-trailed tropicbird), kōlea (golden plover) and ʻaukuʻu (black-crowned night heron), reside here, too, along with the ʻōpeʻapeʻa (Hawaiian hoary bat), the hala pepe tree and endemic cave crickets.
Exploring the volcanic wonders of Hawaii's Big Island

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Spotlight on: Hawaii's volcanoes

The cultural importance of the area
Once dotted with thriving fishing villages, the Kahuku-Pōhue parcel is also home to numerous well-preserved and important Hawaiian cultural sites, including lava tubes, burial sites, fishing heiau (shrines) and the largest recorded abrader quarry in Hawaiʻi. (Abraders are ancient tools used for sanding, smoothing and grinding, often made of coral.) There are unique petroglyphs dating from ancient times to the 19th century, and a part of the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail (or Ala Loa), an ancient 175-mile-long coastal trail, is found here, too.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park had been interested in this area since 2016, with the hope of protecting it from development. TPL bought the land for $9.4 million, with funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and a donation from the Wyss Foundation. In addition, TPL has donated $800,000 to the Friends of Volcanoes National Park to support NPS’s management of Pōhue Bay.
What Native Hawaiians want you to know before your visit
“The park and the community have long recognized the importance of preserving the Kahuku-Pōhue area so its incredible natural and cultural resources are protected in perpetuity,” says park spokesperson Jessica Ferracane. “The coastline along this parcel represents the largest area of natural and undeveloped shoreline in the state and is largely pristine, unspoiled, uninhabited and undeveloped.”
A long history of struggling to keep the bay untouched
Pōhue Bay is the only white-sand beach for tens of miles in the rugged district of Kaʻū. Generations of local residents have come here to fish, surf, dive and connect with nature and culture. According to TPL, which has conserved more than 59,000 acres statewide since 1979, this bay has been the subject of several resort development proposals in the past—for obvious reasons. But many in the community—including park officials—want to keep this pristine area preserved.
Introducing Hawaii's national parks

Honuʻea (Hawaiian hawksbill turtle) on the beach in Pōhue © NPS Photo

Maintaining Pōhue Bay by closing it to the public for now
“Our priority is to protect Pōhue Bay’s natural and cultural resources,” says Lea Hong, TPL’s director of Hawaiʻi programs and associate vice president. “The long-term plan is for the community and general public to be able to appropriately access the land for recreation and cultural practices for generations to come and for the National Park Service to partner with community organizations and residents on stewarding the land.”
For the next several months, the park will continue to seek community feedback to get a better understanding of the natural and cultural resources in the area. It’s also working on an interim operating plan that balances public access with protecting and preserving these resources, Ferracane adds.
The goal is to eventually allow public access to this area, but right now, it’s closed to visitors.
“Concerns the community has shared with the park are protecting resources from overuse and finding a balance between allowing no access to allowing too much access,” Ferracane says. “That’s why it is so important that the park’s first step is listening to the community, and then arriving at a balance that provides for mindful access and long-term protection of the area.”
Allowing visitors to any remote area—especially one that’s home to endangered or threatened plants and animals—can be tricky.
Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is still a hot destination

Puʻu Kī, along the coastline of Pōhue © J.Ferracane / NPS Photo

Sustaining Hawaiʻi's natural wonders
Popular natural attractions like beaches, parks and hiking trails in Hawaiʻi struggle with balancing access with overuse. Lifeguards and volunteers at Kaimana Beach —a state-managed beach park on Oʻahu, just outside of Waikīkī—have difficulty keeping visitors away from endangered Hawaiian monk seals, which often bask on the beach or swim in the nearshore waters. The sightings draw hundreds of people to the beach to catch a glimpse of the seals and their pups. Earlier in July a 60-year-old visitor from California was attacked by a seal in the water while she was swimming, about 150 feet from shore. She suffered cuts to her face, back and arm, but was not seriously injured. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Hawaiʻi Marine Animal Response actively warn people to stay away from the seals there—but it happens. (It’s a felony to touch, harass, injure or kill monk seals, and people are required to say at least 150 feet away from them.)
About 27 miles east of Pōhue Bay is Punaluʻu Beach Park, a gorgeous stretch of black sand famous for the Hawaiian green sea turtles and Hawksbill turtles that frequent the area. Despite posted signs warning people to stay at least 20 feet from the turtles, visitors flock to snap photos and swim with these threatened species.
Introducing the United States' 63 national parks

A Historic Trail at Pōhue; Pōhue holds a network of culturally and historically significant trails © J.Ferracane / NPS Photo

Ferracane says the park is working with the community on determining what kind of public access and use should be explored, including shoreline fishing, swimming and picnic and camp sites.
With the addition of this Pōhue Bay parcel, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park now sprawls over 354,460 acres, or 554 square miles—nearly the size of Oʻahu. Earlier this year the park acquired the 2750-acre Ala Waʻi parcel in the southwest rift zone of Kīlauea. It took over a nearly 2000-acre oceanfront parcel in northeast Pāhala known as The Great Crack in 2018; this site—a popular hiking spot despite its location on private property—contains a 6-mile ravine in a lava field that’s 60 feet wide and 60 feet deep in places.
The donation of the Pōhue Bay parcel is the park’s largest addition since 2003, when about 150 square miles of land was incorporated.
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Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is expanding for good reasons: here's what you need to know

California's Death Valley National Park is still off-limits after it was hit by unprecedented rainfall and flash flooding on Friday.
The surging floodwaters left a wave of wreckage, burying cars under mud and debris and leaving hundreds of visitors and staff temporarily stranded on Friday after roads were shut down.
Death Valley, which holds the record for the hottest temperature on the planet (recording a scorching 134.1°F / 56.7°C on July 10, 1913) received 1.7 inches (4.3cm) of rainfall on Friday in the blistering Furnace Creek area. That's "nearly an entire year's worth of rain in one morning," according to the National Park Service (NPS), who say the park's average annual rainfall is 1.9 inches (4.8cm).
Must see attractions in Death Valley National Park

Broken asphalt on damaged roads in Death Valley © NPS

Videos posted on social media showed water rapidly rushing through the park and roadways and cars buried under mud and debris. Some photographs showed boulders and palm trees upturned and broken asphalt on the roads. Many facilities were flooded, including hotel rooms and business offices.
Remarkably, no one was reported injured, and everyone could travel safely out of the park on the damaged roads on Sunday after emergency crews cleared a pathway through rocks and mud.
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When will Death Valley National Park reopen?
The waters have begun to recede slowly, but cleanup operations are still underway, and park officials say all roads in and out of Death Valley National Park will be closed until at least Wednesday, August 17.
The park's historic Inn at Death Valley is closed until further notice while staff assess and repair flood damage.
Officials say more rain is expected this week, and the ground is still very saturated.

Introducing the USA's National Parks

Are more floods expected?
Friday's flood was the second major weather event at the park in one week after some roads were forced to close on Monday (August 1) when they were hit with mud and debris from flash flooding.
According to NPS, flash floods and monsoonal rains are a natural part of Death Valley's weather system and occur in the park almost yearly. However, Friday's floods were an extremely rare weather event with unprecedented levels of rainfall, more than has ever been recorded there for the entire month of August. "The heavy rain that caused the devastating flooding at Death Valley was an extremely rare, 1000-year event," National Weather Service Las Vegas meteorologist Daniel Berc said, explaining that there's only a 0.1% chance of it occurring in any given year.
While further rainfall is expected, no monsoonal rain is on the cards. Regardless, visitors have been advised to check the conditions ahead of travel on the NPS website. "Death Valley is an incredible place of extremes," said park superintendent Mike Reynolds said in an NPS statement. "It is the hottest place in the world and the driest place in North America. This week's 1,000-year flood is another example of this extreme environment. With climate change models predicting more frequent and more intense storms, this is a place where you can see climate change in action."

When will Death Valley National Park reopen after historic flooding hits the 'hottest place on earth'?

The European Union has postponed introducing its new travel authorization system until November 2023. As part of the scheme, some visitors who live outside the EU will have to register and pay a €7 fee.
The European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) was initially slated to be rolled out in 2021 before being pushed out to May 2023. However, a recent report from the European Commission said it now won't be fully operational until November 2023.
When it was first announced in 2019, reports around the world referred to the new system as a 'visa,' which the European Commission was quick to point out is incorrect. More than 60 countries have visa-free access to the European Union, which won't change.
But residents of those countries, including the US, the UK, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Israel, Singapore, Mexico, and more, will have to register to enter the EU under the ETIAS scheme starting next year and pay €7.
Residents of countries that need a visa to enter the EU for short-term stays are exempt from the new scheme.

Visitors can apply for the ETIAS online © Getty Images

How do travelers apply for an ETIAS?
Travelers must apply online through the ETIAS, using their passport and answering questions that include information about any previous criminal record, presence in conflict zones, and any orders to leave a territory. This works similarly to the US ESTA, conducting a quick, automated security check on visitors before allowing them entry.
The application will cost €7 (£6 / US$7.42), and it's estimated that 95% of people will get a positive response within minutes. Out of the remaining applications, 3-4% may need a little longer to process while just 1-2% will be forwarded for a longer, manual review with the potential for refusal. The ETIAS will then be valid for three years.
Where is the ETIAS needed for travel?
Airlines, ferries, train, and bus companies would be obliged to verify passports and ETIAS authorization before boarding. You will be denied entry if you get to a border check without securing the authorization.
Perhaps confusingly, the ETIAS will not be needed for every EU country but rather for those in the Schengen Area, who have abolished all controls at their mutual borders. Currently, Ireland, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Croatia do not fall within that area so an ETIAS will not be required to travel to those European countries.
It will however be required to enter Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
The Commission says the new system will improve security while reinforcing its commitment to greater access to visa-free travel.
How long is an ETIAS valid for?
The ETIAS is valid for a three-year period or until the expiry date of the travel document.
During that time, travelers can use it for an unlimited number of entries into the European countries in the Schengen Area.

Europe delays charging non-EU travelers for entry until November 2023

With the sharp rebound in tourism in Hawai'i, writer and Native Hawaiian Savannah Dagupion wrote for us about how Indigenous Hawaiians view the rebound in tourism and what they want tourists who visit the islands to know before arriving. At request, we've used native spellings in this article.
Hawaiʻi’s beauty, blissful weather, majestic mountains and inviting beaches are all what make the islands a popular tourist destination. But when the global pandemic halted tourism, residents saw the islands’ beauty in a new light.
Kapulani Antonio, a Hawaiian studies educator, was awed by her experiences of the islands just two years ago.
“[During the pandemic], the roads were not clogged with tourist cars,” she says. “Then you go to the beach, and it’s not crowded at all – and there’s no film on the water from all the sun tan lotion. It just seemed cleaner. It reminded me of when I was a kid. It was as if you could hear the elements speaking to you again.”
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But that only lasted for a few months. Tourism rebounded strongly, and it did so in ways that many Native Hawaiians felt mirrored the colonial past of the islands. Now, they’re trying to raise awareness among travelers through social media and design a more authentic and sustainable future for the tourism industry.

Hawai'i has seen a rebound of tourists to its idyllic beaches © Colin Anderson Productions pty ltd/Getty Images

The rebound of tourists to the islands
On October 15, 2020, Hawaiʻi launched the Safe Travels program, which allowed out-of-state visitors to bypass quarantine with a negative COVID-19 test. Tourists from the continent, unable to travel abroad, trickled into Hawaiʻi. The state saw a spike in COVID-19 cases.
Some used "work from home" as an opportunity to move to Hawaiʻi during the pandemic, which increased the cost of living and priced Native Hawaiians and locals out of their communities. According to real estate firm Locations Hawaii, the median sale price of a single-family home on Oʻahu was $1.1 million in June 2022. That's up from $835,000 just three years earlier.
Because 90% of Hawaiʻi’s goods are imported, many locals worried that the finite amount of resources wouldn’t sustain residents and the increasing number of tourists – especially during the pandemic. Local families grew frustrated that they had to watch their children’s soccer games from the car due to COVID-19 restrictions, while tourists lined the beaches to bask in the sun.
Photos and videos of vacations to Hawaiʻi flooded social media feeds. Tourists posted about traveling off the beaten path to “secret” locations, disturbing native environments and forcing rescue teams to be on high-alert. Last year, Honolulu Fire Department officials reported that they averaged two land or ocean rescues a day – a 63% increase over the same period in 2020, when most tourists stayed home.

Visitors to a waterfall in Hawai'i © Chris Baldwin/Getty Images/Image Source

How Hawai’i grew into a vacation destination
For Native Hawaiians, the behavior of tourists and the way the state handled the pandemic felt eerily familiar.
Antonio says it all started with the United States’ overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893, which led to the subsequent annexation of the nation in 1898. Hawaiians fought to maintain political control over their rightful lands; however, the United States couldn’t ignore Hawaiʻi’s strategic military location and fertile lands.
“The way Hawaiians see it is that we are still occupied – that we never gave up our inherent sovereignty and we’re a nation occupied by the United States,” Antonio says.
Hawaiʻi later became a territory in 1900, and then a state on August 21, 1959.
Native Hawaiians raise awareness through social media
Native Hawaiians pushed back on social media with posts about social justice and historical information – drawing attention to ways they saw tourism exploiting and profiting off Indigenous culture, as well as how the crescendo of visitors was hurting Hawaiʻi.
One of the groups that have been particularly active in reminding people about Hawaiʻi’s colonial past is ʻĀina Momona, a non-profit that focuses on land restoration, reclaiming and de-occupying Hawaiian lands and sustainable futures for Hawai’i. The organization has been notable for its Native Hawaiian social justice Instagram page.
According to Julie Au, Education, Research and Outreach director of ʻĀina Momona, when Hawaiian statehood came up for a vote in 1959, Native Hawaiians weren't the ones voting.
Records from the Library of Congress show that in 1893 Indigenous Hawaiians made up 97% of the islands’ population, but by 1923, their numbers dwindled to 16%.
“All of that is linked to tourism because at that time when we became a state, they really started marketing Hawai’i as this paradise vacation destination,” Au says. “So we’re not even a normal state. We’re America’s vacation state.
Why Native Hawaiians want you to arrive educated
Native Hawaiians and locals acknowledge that tourism is inevitable because people will always be drawn to the islands, which is why they have been speaking up about the importance of education and uplifting the lāhui (the Hawaiian nation).
Au says ʻĀina Momona requests that visitors come educated.
“Tourists need to know they are stepping into a place with a long history,” Antonio says. “They need to take kuleana (responsibility) when they come."
Antonio urges visitors to not treat Hawaiʻi as their playground, and see if they can contribute to this place instead of just taking. "If, after they read up, [and] they decide that Hawaiʻi is not their place, it’s okay. If you come, just be a good steward of the land, have a nice time and then go home. We do have aloha, but you have to act properly," she says.
Native Hawaiians continue to see their percentage of the population – and thus their political voice – drop. Only about 10% of Hawaiʻi’s population is Native Hawaiian, making them a minority in their own home.
Also, with tourism comes development, which has led to the desecration of sacred sites – for example, in 1987, a collection of around 1200 ʻiwi kūpuna (ancestral bones) were exhumed in Honokahua during the excavation for a Ritz-Carlton resort. After an outpouring of Native Hawaiian activism, the resort was pushed further inland. The resort continues to work with those communities to this day.
But to Native Hawaiians, it is still upsetting that the sacred site was disrupted in the first place.
“It all goes back to the beginning when our political control was taken from us. Now we can’t even make decisions that are good for island people,” Antonio says. “[We] have no say in what happens to [our] ʻāina (land).”
Au urges visitors to really consider the ramifications of their vacation.
“People hop on a plane, come here and visit all these sites, drink all of our limited water, and fuel into this capitalist economy that’s building condos for them instead of housing for us and building resorts for them instead of agricultural land for us – and [they’re not seeing] the implications of that,” she says.
What to consider for your visit
If visitors decide it’s their dream to visit Hawaiʻi, Au says it is important to follow protocols. She points to a slogan on a sign in Molokaʻi: visit, spend, go home. She also advises that tourists regulate themselves and tread lightly.
“There’s lots of fun things to do here, but if we’re putting out things that say ‘don’t do this, don’t do that or don’t go here,’ we’d like people to respect that,” she says.
Read more: 'This behavior is unacceptable' - Hawaii visitors warned to stay away from monk seals
Along with obeying rules on the island and respecting locals’ concerns, make sure you practice the principles of Leave No Trace. Don’t take any rocks, sand or other pieces of nature from the islands.
Make sure to adequately plan and prepare for activities like hiking, and behave responsibly to avoid needing rescue crews to come get you. Also, avoid high-foot-traffic areas to prevent erosion and deterioration of trails.
Practice being a good steward of the land by preserving as much of the natural environment as you can. Wear reef-safe sunscreen, respect cultural sites and keep your distance from marine life.

The 'Road to Hana' is an adventure. Many parts of this winding road narrow to just one lane as it goes through one of the truly last undeveloped tropical areas of the island of Maui, Hawaii. © Getty Images/iStockphoto

Many scenic roads frequented by tourists are also used by locals. The Road to Hana is a narrow, winding 64.4-mile-long stretch on Maui. Residents have voiced concerns about visitors blocking roads or slowing down to sightsee. Consider taking a tour to limit the amount of vehicle traffic on the road. If you decide to drive the scenic routes, be sure to only pull over where appropriate, and pull over completely. Also, if you notice a local vehicle behind you, pull over and let them pass.
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Consider giving back, too. Alexa Bader, ʻĀina Momona Communications Director who also runs their Instagram page, recommends that if visitors really care about Hawaiʻi and want to help make a difference, they should donate to Native Hawaiian non-profits.
“Try to research Native groups that are trying to help our islands survive,” she says. “Help all these grassroots.”
Antonio adds that it’s reasonable that Native Hawaiians are upset over the effects of tourism because they have a lot of cultural and historical trauma.
“People have that sense that the haole (foreigner) is bad and that the haole is coming to take from me again,” she says. “It’s up to haole to show us that they’re not here to hurt us. That they’re here to actually learn about our culture. To appreciate and to help. Be an ally to Hawaiians and Hawaiʻi.”
In Native Hawaiian culture, land has great significance, so to see their homeland devastated by development, tourism or the government, Antonio says it’s ʻeha (it hurts).
“Because we see the ʻāina as family, we’re gonna fight to protect it like we would fight to protect our own kūpuna (grandparents),” she says. “What is driving us is this sense that this is our homeland and we have become strangers in our own homeland. And we don’t like it.”
Partnering for a sustainable path forward for Hawaiʻi
Small signs of progress have been evident as a result of Native Hawaiian activism, and efforts to bridge the gap between Native Hawaiians and the tourism industry are being made.
On June 2, the Hawaii Tourism Authority – the group responsible for managing Hawaiʻi’s tourism industry – announced that they selected the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement for a contract to take over brand management and support services in the US market.
The council is another Native Hawaiian non-profit group that aims to enhance the cultural, economic, political and community development of Native Hawaiians.
According to Oralani Koa, Manager of Hawaiian Programming at The Westin Maui, there are more Native Hawaiian cultural advisers in tourism and hospitality than there ever were 10 years ago.
“We are able to be the voice between our community and the resort,” she says. “That means we’re making progress, and progress is a good thing. It might not be as fast as we want it to be, but at least we’re seeing some kind of movement. Yes, there’s still lots of work to be done, but every little bit counts.”
As a cultural adviser, Koa helps facilitate authentic Native Hawaiian cultural experiences for guests through activities such as weaving, education on plants and their uses and learning oral history through moʻolelo (storytelling) and mele (songs). She also ensures that the resort accurately represents Hawaiian culture.
“It’s such an exciting time because what that means for us is that in this hospitality industry they see the value of culture,” Koa says.
According to Koa, resorts can’t put a number on cultural adviser positions and don’t fully know if the positions will bring in more money or a return on their investment. However, the fact that more resorts are opting for this position shows that cultural advisers are becoming more of a necessity.
“I love that because it opens more seats for our people to be at this place that we always should have been at,” she says.

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