That's a welcome development for the Wai'anae Coast, where unemployment rates in October averaged about 6.8 percent, compared with O'ahu's 2.7 percent.

Small businesses and others have noticed the change, too. More visitors have been stopping by the Treasure Box charity thrift store in Makaha.

"It's blowing our minds away," said Tammy Withers, executive director of the nonprofit organization that runs the shop. "We came here almost three years ago, and every year it has increased on this side of the island for us. They don't want to go Waikiki. They don't want the hustle and bustle, the crowds."

COMMUNITY ABUZZ

State officials said there are no statistics or studies that specifically track visitors to the Wai'anae Coast, but several merchants and employees last week said they are seeing an increase.

Reggie Robinson, who operates his Makaha Shave Ice stand at the Makaha Marketplace, said he's making more money, thanks in part to an increase in tourists. When he opened his business three years ago, 80 percent of his customers were local. Now tourists make up about half his business, he said.

"I would say I'm benefiting from (tourism) because I'm a small-business owner and I have something to offer the visitor when they come out here," Robinson said. "If you don't have nothing to offer them, I don't know if you benefit from them. ... More people should gear their business toward tourism, and you might be a little more successful out here."

For Candice Keouli, a waitress at Hannara Restaurant, an increase in visitors has meant more tips. She said she started to notice more visitors coming in last year.

"You see a lot of people from all over — from Canada, Japan, all over the Mainland," she said.

The draw seems to be the lack of development.

"We're pretty much a slow-paced area, so the tourists, they love it out here," said Christine Oroc of Ma'ili, who rents out ocean recreation and fishing equipment, and sells souvenirs and clothing at Paradise Isle Kama'aina & Visitor Center in Makaha. "They say they'd rather be out here than Waikiki, only because it's a lot less crowded. They love the beaches out here."

Some visitors have stayed in Makaha during tourism's peak season because there wasn't enough room in Waikiki hotels. Some are bused in for dolphin-watching tours off the coast or stop by area businesses when they realize they can't drive to the North Shore via Ka'ena Point.

A new TV series filmed on the Wai'anae Coast called "Beyond the Break" (formerly "Boarding School"), about a group of young women striving to become professional surfers, may draw more attention to the area. The show, which also shoots at the Makaha Resort, is scheduled to debut in March on The N, a new MTV nighttime teen channel.

Development at the Ko Olina Resort & Marina, just outside what is traditionally considered the Wai'anae Coast, brings tourists closer to the west side of the island and provides hundreds of jobs for area residents.

Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club, which last week opened half of its new high-rise time-share building, hired more than 60 workers in the last couple of months, and plans to hire another 50 when it opens the second half next June, said general manager Chad Jensen. About 66 percent of the Club's 339 employees live on the west side, he said.

Most employees at the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa also live in the Leeward O'ahu area, said general manager Chris Tatum. The resort also provides internships to Leeward Coast high school students.

STRAIN ON RESOURCES

To be sure, most jobs for residents are still outside the Wai'anae Coast, according to Verna Landford-Bright, employment consultant at O'ahu Work Links in Wai'anae.

The area lacks the cute shops and trendy eateries of most tourist spots. The few restaurants and stores are scattered among aging buildings along Farrington Highway, the main thoroughfare. Homeless camps occupy some of the beaches and crime continues to be a problem.

"It's still a struggle out in the Wai'anae area; let's not make any bones about it," said Cynthia Rezentes, chairwoman of the Wai'anae Coast Neighborhood Board. "When you put a mix of tourism in there, it may help the area by cleaning the area up, and in another way it may just exacerbate some of our problems."

Not everyone wants to see more visitors on the Wai'anae Coast.

"There's good and bad with the increase," said harbormaster Aila, speaking as a Wai'anae resident. "The good is the revenue that they bring, and the jobs that are created from that revenue. Bad is the additional congestion on the road and the use of our limited resources."

Aila also said that while some tourists are respectful of Hawaiian cultural sites, others not familiar with them climb on and damage heiau. There also are user conflicts between dolphin tours and fishermen, he said.

INVOLVING RESIDENTS

Some residents complain about unlicensed vacation rentals in Makaha, arguing that the units take away housing for locals and change the character of the area.

The Wai'anae Coast Coalition is planning a meeting, tentatively set for February, to discuss community-based tourism, which aims to involve residents in creating visitor-related economic opportunities that benefit the community and preserve its culture. The idea is to design tourism plans based first on what the community wants rather than the visitor, said coalition executive director Joseph Lapilio.

"A community's like your house," Lapilio said. "There are only so many people that can come into your house before you strain your own resources. It's the same with Wai'anae. It's the same with every other community. I really don't want to see in Wai'anae what you see elsewhere in Hawai'i, where they're completely overwhelmed."

For Precious Salas, 18, a Makaha Resort housekeeper and Wai'anae resident, the visitors offer a fresh view of her home.

"It's funny how you hear they really like this side of the island," Salas said. "You never hear (local) people say, 'Oh, I love it in Wai'anae.' You know, because it's Wai'anae. And then you talk to the (tourists) and they always say they love it down here, it's beautiful, it never rains and the beaches are really pretty."

Neil and Hanne Syme of Vancouver, who have visited Hawai'i about 15 times, rented a time-share unit at the Hawaiian Princess in Makaha to get away from the crowds in Waikiki.

"We've stayed in Waikiki a lot of times and it's too busy," Neil said. "We went from Waikiki to Maui. And now Maui's too busy. And then we found this spot."

The only trouble is "there are no restaurants," he said.

Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com.