🌿 How to Travel Pono in Hawai‘i: A Visitor’s Guide to Respectful and Sustainable Adventures
By the Sustainable Tourism Association of Hawai‘i (STAH)
Why “Pono” Matters More Than Ever
In Hawaiian culture, pono means to act with righteousness, balance, and deep respect. This is the mantra we promote for all visitors to the islands. The impact of tourism on Hawai‘i is undeniable—from ecological strain to the displacement of Native Hawaiian families due to rising housing costs and overdevelopment. STAH believes in reshaping how we travel through sustainable tourism practices that directly benefit the native host community across the islands.
Five Ways to Travel Pono 🌺
1. Support Native Hawaiian-Owned Businesses
Choose tours, restaurants, and shops owned by Native Hawaiians. This supports native sovereignty and ensures that tourism revenue benefits the people whose culture is often commercialized and exploited.
2. Stay at Eco-Certified Accommodations
Certified lodgings reduce waste, conserve energy, and often support local conservation. Avoid illegal vacation rentals or large foreign-owned hotel chains, which contribute to housing shortages for local families.
3. Respect Sacred Sites and Wildlife
Follow posted signs, keep your distance from wildlife, and never climb or enter restricted areas. Photos are never worth disrupting delicate environments.
4. Use Reef-Safe Sunscreen
Coral reefs are struggling, and chemicals in traditional sunscreen are a major contributor. Reef-safe products are widely available on-island—choose them every time you swim.
5. Observe and Respect Local Culture
It’s important to understand the history and culture of the place you are visiting. Educate on how to appropriately celebrate Hawaiian culture, not appropriate it.
Honor the Land, Protect the People
For decades, over-tourism of the Hawaiian Islands has displaced and dismantled thousands of native Hawaiian communities. Many have put profit or self-interest over the protection of native communities and ecosystems while visiting Hawaii. Traveling pono means acknowledging this reality and doing what we can to reverse it. By making thoughtful, informed choices, you help preserve not just the land but the sovereignty and dignity of those who have called it home for generations.
Choose experiences that nourish both you and the communities you visit. Before you pack your bags, take the Pono Pledge and explore our guide to eco-certified, culturally rooted tourism. 👉 Take the pledge and learn more at sustainabletourismhawaii.org
