Waikiki’s International Market Place has been must-see for Hawaii tourists for decades, but in just a few hours the iconic souvenir shops will close for good.

The landowner Queen Emma Land Co. told tenants in August that the they must leave by 8 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.

The company plans to redevelop the property into a high-end mall with Saks Fifth Avenue as the main store.

Advocates of the project say it will add jobs and that the International Market Place is rundown and should be revitalized.

But critics have bewailed the gentrification of Waikiki and the loss of a historic shopping area that has catered to millions of tourists and provided precious retail space for small business owners. 

Courtesy of Michael Coghlan via Flickr

— Anita Hofschneider