Developing a Dream Destination: Tourism and Tourism Policy Planning in Hawaii

by James Mak

Developing a Dream Destination is an interpretive history of tourism and tourism policy development in Hawai‘i from the 1960s to the twenty-first century. Part 1 looks at the many changes in tourism since statehood (1959) and tourism’s imprint on Hawai‘i. Part 2 reviews the development of public policy toward tourism, beginning with a story of the planning process that started around 1970―a full decade before the first comprehensive State Tourism Plan was crafted and implemented. It also examines state government policies and actions taken relative to the taxation of tourism, tourism promotion, convention center development and financing, the environment, Honolulu County’s efforts to improve Waikiki, and how the Neighbor Islands have coped with explosive tourism growth. Along the way, author James Mak offers interpretations of what has worked, what has not, and why. He concludes with a chapter on the lessons learned while developing a dream destination over the past half century.

272 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2008

Reviews

[Kenny Stevenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very much a textbook. It is not what I would term as a fun read, but for someone who is researching a project that involves the tourism industry in Hawaii, it had a lot a good information in it. It's just VERY academic and not what I would call a "page turner".

[Adisudewa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is relevant to my area of interest (island economy dominated by tourism). It is one of the best public policy books that I have read. The scenes and the conflicts are real and well-described, reflecting years of solid academic researches. Hawaii is actually one of the best managed destinations and the book explains why it is so. This is a must read to any tourism planning students, in addition to a more recent book by Elizabeth Becker ("Overbooked")

[Jennifer]

Never read it dont know why it had it on here