The Hawaiian gazette., 1903-01-02
the TOURIST QUESTION.

has, within three or -FOUR years pasN,
: added, an estimated population of 10000
to tfre 100. DO already in the city. Many
who came to visit remained to live and
that is a result which any American
town that becomes a favorite tourist
resort may anticipate. Colorado
Springs. Jacksonville, Fla, San Anto-
Mo. Texas, the sound cities, San Fran
cisco. San Jose, Santa Barbara, and
San Diego have been built up in part
by people who went to them originally
as tourists. Honolulu has also had such
accretions. though, in the past, an alien
government, disturbed conditions and
the lack of a cable, worked against
heavy gain from this source.
These obstacles are no longer to be
feared. Foreign rule has passed into
history: the era of physical revolutions
came to an end with the raising of the
new flag; the cable is now at the point
of completion. Meanwhile Hawaii has
added much to its facilities for taking
care of strangers. This Is not now
one-hotel town. Splendid hostelries are
ours to command and to anticipate. The
Moana at Waikiki and Haleiwa at Wal
alua are commodious modern struct-
ures; the old Hawaiian hotel has ex-
banded into a most satisfactory abiding
place; the Alexander Young Hotel. now
nearly finished, Is probably larger than
any hotel the city of New York had for
ty years ago and it would do credit to
San Francisco today. There are an
nexes, small hotels and boarding houses
enough to absorb throng of tourists
and IL more accommodations are need
ed the money is ready to provide them,
Added to all this Is an Improvement
in methods and means Of transporta-
zion from the Coast and around the
Islands. Ten years ago the old Aus
tralia was the one ship of the ferry SER
vice with the Mariposa and Alameda
running through to the Colonies. The
China was the largest ship of the
Oriental fleet. Most Of the steamers
were seven-day boats. Now the new
Spreckels leviathans, three in number,
the gigantic Korea and Siberia of the
Pacific Mail line, and vessels of the old
feet which have been improved in the
matter of speed, have cut down the
time of the ocean journey and augment
ed its comforts. For inter-island use
there is a fleet of excellent steamers,
we'll found and commanded, and ashore
the roads and bridges have been i'm
proved and the great scenic attractions
of the group made accessible. Tourists
can get here sooner, find better hous-
ing and see more of Hawaii than ever
before.
Better steamship service. with its
qualities of refrigeration, have ampll-
fled the local menu. Tourists need not
live, as Mark Twain said he did many
years ago. on climate, fish and poi. The
edible resources of San Francisco have
been added to those Of Hawaii itself.
Indeed, all the comforts of ,life are with
us now, the electric light, telephone,
rapid transit, the voluminous daily pa
per, not infrequent amusements of
good class, churches of most Christian
denominations, stores well-filled-all the
concomitants, in fact, of American civ
ilization. In wealth, refinement and ur-
ban charm Honolulu offers the tourist
his customary social surroundings and
puts them in wider setting of tropical
beauty and glamour, and invests them
with the novelty that comes of strange
races and historical romance.
In a word. Honolulu is now ready for
all the tourists who will come-ready
as IL never was before and with more
to offer than many places which are an
nually crowded with seekers for pleas
ure and health. What remains is to
advertise the place and organize expe-
ditions to ito make Honolulu a tour
list fad. This is simply a matter of
means and enterprise in short, of bus
mess capacity such as has elevated Los
Angeles from city of 10000 to one of
10000. Tourists do not go aimlessly in
search OF a spot they may like. They
want TO know in advance what place
has TO offer. They look for informal
ton and If 1t Is wanting they conclude
there is nothing TO be said and easily
take another tack. The place that does
not work for tourists fails to get them
and in losing them also loses most de-
sirable addition to Its roster of perma-
nent inhabitants. 1t does not take much
TO turn the man OF means, who finds
health and satisfaction in a strange
city, into a resident of 1t, and IL Homo
lulu wants TO grow, II can do nothing
better than 10 study the advertising
methods of the Sound cities and of Los
Angeles and copy them as closely as
circumstances will permit