MAUI, Hawaii – In the throes of responding to the Maui wildfires that razed the celebrated town of Lahaina and claimed more than 110 lives, Hawaii remains mostly open for tourism, despite the misgivings of both residents and tourists.
The island needs to heal and the disaster areas are far from recovered, he said, but the tourist-go-home messaging is irresponsible and harmful. Official guidance from the Hawaiian government has shifted in the past week, first discouraging travellers from visiting the entire island of Maui, and now from West Maui for the rest of the month.
But tension over growing tourist numbers was not. Hawaii has for decades been one of the top destinations for American and international visitors, and has struggled to balance tourism with residents’ demands to acknowledge and protect the islands’ traditional culture.A year ago, Mr John De Fries, the first Native Hawaiian to lead the tourism authority, told The New York Times that “local residents have a responsibility to host visitors in a way that is appropriate.
“Maui is not the place to have your vacation right now,” said Oahu-born American actor Jason Momoa in an Instagram Story. About three million visitors went to Maui, where the “visitor industry” accounts for 80 per cent of every dollar generated on the island, the Maui Economic Development Board said.