The Reality of Tourism

"The Reality of Tourism"

Haunani-Kay Trask has a very strong point of view in her essay "Tourist, Stay Home" about the fact that her homeland is becoming an unbearably popular vacation spot for Americans. In her essay she wants people, mainly Americans, to see that her home is being taken over.

Trask states that "native self-government has always been the preferable form of government" (Trask 299). Most native Hawaiians do not feel grateful that their country was "stolen along with their citizenship, lands, and independence among family of nations" (Trask 299). Trask wants Hawaii to be given back to its rightful owners, the natives of Hawaii. American colonialism was an especially brutal and painful process for Hawaiians. Trask goes further to explain that the American military took over and annexed the Hawaiian leadership. Trask was effected greatly by this; she says that her "heritage and inheritance was taken from us" (Trask 299). Sometimes it can be hard for outsider to really understand why native Hawaiian's dislike tourists. Most foreigners would think that Hawaiian's would be happy and appreciative to live in such a privileged nation. But that is only because they see it from an outsiders view, from the view of an American. While Hawaiian's see it as being "orphaned in our own land" (Trask 299).

Another point is that people may think that Hawaiian's get the majority of the profit from all of the tourism, but they don't. The state earns millions each year due to tourism, but not the people. They have even set up a "private booster club