In the midst of responding to the wildfires on Maui that destroyed the iconic town of Lahaina and claimed more than 110 lives, Hawaii remains mostly open to tourism, despite the concerns of both residents and tourists.
“Don’t come to Maui,” said Lahaina resident Kate Duchino, in a statement Tik Tok videos It has been viewed more than two million times since it was posted on Sunday. “Cancel your flight. now.”
“It’s a very painful feeling to see other people enjoying parts of their lives that we would have otherwise welcomed,” she said, adding that her home was badly damaged by the fire and her family had been evacuated minutes earlier.
Last week’s tragedy intensified long-running tensions over the archipelago’s economic dependence on tourism, a dependency that has sparked anti-tourism protests in recent years and brought the country to its knees during the pandemic. Many residents, particularly on Maui, are outraged by the uncomfortable and contradictory scenario of visitors lounging in the state’s lush forests or sunbathing on white-sand beaches while grieving the massive loss of life, home and culture. Others believe that tourism, while particularly painful now, is vital.
“People are quickly forgetting now, how many local businesses closed during Covid,” said Daniel Kalahiki, who runs a food truck in Wailuku in Maui, east of Lahaina. He said that the island needs to recover and the stricken areas are far from recovery, but the tourist repatriation messages are irresponsible and harmful.
“No matter what, the rest of Maui must go on,” said Mr. Kalahiki, 52. “The island has already been hit in the chest. Are you going to stab us in the heart, too?”
The devastating loss of life, and these conflicting messages, are causing travelers to grapple with the appropriateness of visiting Maui, or anywhere in Hawaii, in the near future, leading them to wonder whether their money will help or their presence will hinder recovery efforts.
“If we were on Vrbo, would that be transmitted from a potentially displaced person?” said Stephanie Crowe, an Oklahoman who is traveling to Maui this fall for her wedding.
Official guidance shifted from the Hawaii government last week, first banning travelers from visiting the entire island of Maui, and now from West Maui the rest of the month. Travel to other islands, including tourist attractions Kauai, Oahu and the Big Island, was not affected.
State tourism groups say travel is encouraged to support Hawaii’s recovery and prevent it from sliding into a deeper crisis.
“Tourism is the primary economic driver in Hawaii, and we don’t want to compound a terrible natural disaster from fires with a secondary economic disaster,” said Elijah Gionson, a spokesperson for the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
vital to the economy
For those in the tourism industry, the year has been a promising start. Visitor spending through June was $10.78 billion, up 17 percent from the same period last year, according to the Hawaii Foundation. Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. The calamities of the epidemic were in the past.
But the tension over the increasing number of tourists was not. For decades one of the top destinations for American and international visitors, Hawaii has struggled to balance tourism with residents’ demands to recognize and protect the islands’ traditional culture. Countries that depend on visitors such as Jamaica, Thailand and Mexico face similar existential problems.
A year ago, John D. Vries, the first native Hawaiian to lead the tourism authority, told the New York Times that “Locals have a responsibility to host visitors in an appropriate manner. In turn, visitors have a responsibility to recognize that their destination is someone’s home, someone’s neighborhood, or someone’s community.
in the tourism agency Latest resident survey, issued in July, 67 percent of the 1,960 respondents across four islands expressed “favorable” opinions of tourism in the state. But the same percentage agreed with the assertion: “This island is being run for tourists at the expense of the local population.”
In the days immediately following the fires, frustration with visitors erupted on Maui.
“People take advantage of trauma,” Kaylee Song, a spiritual guide who lives on the island of Maui in Waikapu, writes. on TikTok.
Ms Song, 33, said in the video that tourists are still in the shops despite limited resources. “They are getting in the way now as people mourn the loss of loved ones, places burned, and history all but erased.”
“Maui is not the place to go on vacation right now,” Oahu-born actor Jason Momoa said in an Instagram story. he Deploy an infographic which read Stop Traveling Maui, and included instructions on how to make donations. There was a fierce protest after the establishment of Maui The diving company did a charity tour After the forest fires, leading to the company Issuing an apology and suspend operations.
“To hear that people dive into waters where they’ve had traumatic experiences and died, it’s hard to justify why that’s considered acceptable,” said Ms. Dochino, 29.
She works in property management and in a restaurant for Haina, and noted that her family’s income depends entirely on tourists. However, she said, “I don’t think it’s the right time to welcome tourism back into our region.”
The industry provides nearly 200,000 jobs across the islands, and last year just over 9 million visitors spent $19.29 billion, According to the Tourism Authority. About 3 million visitors have gone to Maui, with the “visitor industry” accounting for 80 percent of every dollar made on the island, Maui Economic Development Board said.
“Just like everyone, we need to get to work. We’re just getting through Covid. Things are just starting to pick up. To think that every Something may close again.”The islands need tourism and income to rebuild.”
In Wailuku, Mr. Kalahike said his food truck sales have fallen by half. The streets are usually “popping” with tourists, he said, and there were days when his wife, who has a beach-clothing shop in town, didn’t sell a single thing.
Travelers seek clarity
Then there are the travelers who have saved up for their first vacations in years, many planning family reunions or celebrating weddings and honeymoons. Many want to be respectful and are looking for clarity about what that looks like Online forums Ask locals where and when it is okay to visit.
Early next month, Danette Williams, 48, will honeymoon on the Big Island, blazing north and south of Kohala.
For days, she and her fiancé had been going back and forth about canceling their trip, and considering a road trip from their home in San Francisco instead. In the end, they decided that tourism dollars were beneficial, as long as they stayed away from other islands and didn’t take up needed space or resources away from the displaced population, she said.
Others, like Ms. Crow, of Oklahoma, say vendors like her wedding planner ask her to keep their trip. In early September, Ms. Crow, 47, and her fiancé plan to get married on a beach in Kihei, about 20 miles south of Lahaina. She said it was supposed to be a wedding in a “happy happy heaven” setting.
“These are first-world problems that I deal with. They’ve lost lives, homes, incomes, they’ve lost everything,” said Ms. Crowe.
Deciding what to do was overwhelming and conflicting, she added. She said changing directions from officials was baffling.
“We just need some time.”
Marilyn Clark, a travel agent who specializes in trips to Hawaii, said the travel industry was in a “holding pattern” waiting for more government guidance.
Major hotels on Maui have relaxed their cancellation policies through the end of August, she said, but what hotels and vendors will offer after that is unclear, compounding anxiety and confusion among travelers.
Travelers like Mrs. Crow are unsure whether their presence will affect people who need shelter. In Lahaina alone, as many as 6,000 people have lost their homes, one official said.
Some hotel operators say they are providing rooms and other support to emergency responders, displaced residents and hotel staff. Kekua McClellan, a spokesperson for the Hawaii Hotel Alliance, said the state has secured 1,000 hotel rooms, mostly north of Lahaina, in Kaanapali.
Among the homeless is Joe Plotta, a West Maui community leader and real estate broker. He lives with his daughter after he survived the fire that destroyed his house and all his belongings.
He described himself as a “big fan of tourism,” but noted that there are other ways to support Maui. He said that the horror and grief are too cruel.
Mr. Pluta, 74, said: “This is not the time to come and play. Come on again, just give us some time. We just need some time.”
Kirsten Noyes Contribute to the research.
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