The area around the Maui town largely destroyed by wildfire began welcoming back travel this week – two months after the wildfire that killed at least 98 people and destroyed more than 2,000 structures. Five hotels in West Maui were accepting reservations again, according to their websites and the Maui Hotel and Lodging Association.
In addition, eight timeshare properties were opening across the region early this month, including some a few miles from the devastation.
Ilihia Gionson with the Hawaii Tourism Authority said Sunday that a huge influx of visitors was not expected based on conversations with hotels. Precise figures for how many travellers were returning to the area’s hotels and timeshares were not immediately available, he said.
Lisa Paulson, executive director of the Maui Hotel and Lodging Association, said her organization’s surveys indicated the number will be “low.” She predicted “a very slow ramp up to visitors coming back.”
The reopening comes after the mayor and Hawaii’s governor pushed ahead to restart tourism to boost the economy despite opposition from some Lahaina residents.
Thousands of tourists staying in beachfront hotels north of the burn zone left Maui in the days after the fire. Some 11,000 hotel rooms in West Maui have since either sat empty or housed displaced Lahaina residents under a program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross.
The county prepared another video highlighting places visitors could go outside West Maui, including the town of Paia on Maui’s north shore and the scenic road to Hana on the island’s east side.
The video message urged visitors to show respect by staying away from the burn zone, not taking and posting “inappropriate images” on social media, and following signs and instructions.
Separately, the governor’s Office of Wellness and Resilience prepared a flyer with tips on how visitors can be respectful, which it planned to distribute at hotels, rental car desks and other places visitors frequent.
Four of the five reopening hotels were in the northernmost section of West Maui, including the Ritz-Carlton at Kapalua. This area is 11 to 16 kilometers and a 15- to 20-minute drive north of the part of Lahaina that burned.
Governor Josh Green had indicated fewer hotels would open. He told the Hawaii News Now interview program “Spotlight Now” last week that “I believe only one or maybe two hotels will be fully opened on that date, on the 8th.” Green’s office said the numbers have fluctuated over time.
The Mauian is among the hotels welcoming travellers again. It posted a note on its website saying the return of visitors would help stabilize the economy and provide jobs and support “for those who lost so much in this disaster.”
“However, we humbly ask that if you visit West Maui in coming months, please do so with sensitivity and respect for those who have suffered great losses,” the note said. “Your kindness, understanding and aloha will be appreciated during this time.”
Paulson, from the lodging association, said timeshares sometimes rent to non-owner travellers but most were not doing so now in West Maui to be respectful, she said.