The 'Vampire' singer is criticized on social media after sharing photos taken during her stay at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea as locals have begged tourists to stop visiting the islands.
- Jul 31, 2023
AceShowbiz - Olivia Rodrigo just wanted to have some fun during her recent trip to Hawaii, but it apparently didn't sit well with many social media users. The singer/actress has garnered a lot of criticisms after posting photos from her tropical vacation amid over-tourism concerns on the islands.
On Wednesday, July 26, the 20-year-old made use of her Instagram account to share her "vacay dumpppp" that featured photos taken during her stay at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. In one of the pictures, she was sitting by the stream.
She was seen rocking a two-piece black bikini while getting into the water and sporting a black crop top with blue shorts while posing in front of a shark mural in two other snaps. She also shared a photo of a beautiful waterfall.
In another picture, Olivia sported a white bikini top while taking a sip of refreshing drink with chicken strips and french fries served on a plate in front of her. She also had a blast in a video taken while she was cruising with a female friend in a car.
While many of her followers supported Olivia for getting the well-deserved break, others voiced their criticisms about her trip to Hawaii and her social media post promoting it amid call to reduce over-tourism on the islands.
"Y'all need to f**king stop going to Hawaii," one person commented on the post. Others took to Twitter to blast the pop star. "Stop vacationing in Hawaii," one of them said, as another wrote, "how do people not know not to travel to Hawaii?"
"I mean no disrespect to her but can celebrities please stop going and promoting going to Hawaii?" a fourth critic pleaded, adding, "The people living there don't benefit from the tourism and it is very unethical considering the damage tourist do to the environment and just not respecting the culture and Island."
"How are people still going there after the people that lived there begged y'all to stop," another wondered. Someone else slammed the star and others who were still visiting Hawaii, "I guess celebrities don't read the local's requests, that people should NOT travel there. they are already struggling, pls don't travel to Hawaii."
The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic has shown evidence to claims about the negative impact of over-tourism on Hawaii's environment. The reduction of visitors in 2020, amid the coronavirus crisis, allowed the state's natural resources, such as beaches and coral reefs, to recover from the impacts of the steady influx of people on the islands, according to Tai Swim.
Since statehood in 1959, tourism has exploded on the islands. As a result, the cost of real estate has soared, leaving many properties affordable to developers and the rich and wealthy, which includes celebrities, who buy second homes that largely sit empty for much of the year.
All of this has also pushed Hawaii's cost of living to among the highest in the U.S. Over the years, many native Hawaiians have been pushed out of their homeland, where their ancestors lived for some 3,000 years, all while being significantly overrepresented in the homeless population, according to Buzz Feed.
Olivia has not responded to the backlash.
