Did Governor Green and the troubled Hawaii Tourism Authority miss the mark. If so, exactly what is needed?
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143 thoughts on “Perplexing West Maui “Closed” Edict Upsets Residents And Visitors”
Did Governor Green and the troubled Hawaii Tourism Authority miss the mark. If so, exactly what is needed?
Clearly Hawaiian Government officials are unable to see the damage they are creating in their lust to weild the power they are given.
I’ve never heard of a place in America where after a disaster, our citizens are told they are not welcome?
Understandably the burnt areas aren’t safe and should be off limits, but anything else being closed serves what purpose? To harm the people who live and work their that badly need the cash inflow tourism brings.
Historically people who go to disaster areas understand the issues and are respectful, helpful, and compassionate.
Tourists are the best medicine right now for a community in pain.
The fact that the people in charge don’t see this, and don’t see the harm they are causing there own citizens by attempting to ban tourism, is very revealing and is reason to question their motives and abilities to manage this very situation.
We were just visiting Kelowna, BC when the big fire broke out last Friday. I heard second hand that the BC premier asked tourists to leave so evacuated residents could use the hotel rooms and air B&Bs. Maui’s tourist evacutation plea immediately came to mind, so I waited until it was official to leave. I’m sure the businesses were upset with that order. It’s like a ghost town over there with 450 AQI very unhealthy air. What an impossible situation! Today is Wednesday and the air is clear now in Kelowna, but we moved on to Banff in Alberta.
Yes and now parts of the Okanagan are begging for the tourists to come back
As a non-resident who cherishes Maui and respects her people tremendously, is it right to travel to the West Side or not? The government apparently closed the entire West until mid-October; does this mean all resorts are closed? On the other hand, it seems that the residents, themselves, want the financial support from tourism to begin again, and view it as the first step to moving forward. What is the genuine answer to doing the right thing for the people of Maui and, if it is travel to West Side, is it feasible? Thank you.
Hi Lisa.
Reading the comments here should give you a pretty wide range of opinions. Ultimately, it’s a personal decision.
Aloha.
Thank you for your response~
There are more rooms in the upper west side than there are refugees from the fire – if the hotels have open rooms that aren’t being subsidized by .gov as temporary resident, (and likely in the near future temporary demolition and rebuilding workforce) housing – then bring back guests to use those rooms.
Lahaina won’t recover if we don’t have revenue coming in.
The sooner we go back to some semblance of “normal” the sooner the people of Lahaina can bury thier lost, rebuild thier homes, and do what they can to put this tragedy behind them.
Green, Bissen and the rest of them – they are biting the hand that feeds us. WE (collective we) need that money. I don’t care if you like it or not, the truth of the matter is – maui lives on tourist revenue.
We all took a huge hit because covid – let’s not let this happen again.
The water is not safe in Lahaina and Upcountry according to the County Water Department. There is asbestos and benzene in the drinking water.
This is excellent! Nothing has been made clear to us with September/October reservations. Even some resorts are up in the air of what to do. We have now changed our reservations to South Maui. However with that said, any restaurants that open, we will drive the hour to get there just to support those businesses.
Madonna
I have visited Hawaii many times over the past 45 years. The worst treatment I have ever received was in Lahaina where ignorant locals called us Haoli and let us know we weren’t welcome there. We started going to the Big Island after that where we could stay in resorts catering to visitors and not have to interact with locals who treated us like dirt. Time to go to Mexico this winter.
A few incidents with youth, one young gal smashed a golf ball sized dent in the trunk of my rental while i was parked waiting at Costco. She didn’t realize i was in the car at the time. Another young lad verbally acousted my daughter. Hate will eat these people up, that is there problem. I will bring my own Aloha, no bitterness, if Maui only realized how much people want to give back in love and support.
The mixed messages being sent are mind blowing. I have followed the information thru multiple resources and it just proves how inept the government is. I belong to several FB pages for Hawaii travel and as much as my heart breaks for Maui it breaks just as much for the visitors that don’t know what to do. They don’t want to be disrespectful but then they see the information to come, just not to the west side. It is just like Covid. We went to Maui in Oct of 21. We booked in Dec of 20. I knew what a hard time the businesses were having and went for it praying that common sense would prevail. We had to jump thru multiple hoops but we finally made it. It was quite evident that the government was all about discouraging visitors regardless of the harm it was causing. I just hope that they either back track which they are obviously good at doing or provide a rational reason and give assistance to the businesses and their employees that are being harmed. We stayed in Kaanapali and as normal the people were fantastic. I just saw an interview with a hotel employee in Kaanapali, I think it was even our condo resort, she was working even though she lost everything. Please don’t kick your own people when they are down😪
We are scheduled to be in Maui for our annual trip September 20-October 18. We are fractional owners at the Whaler Condo. We have a large number of family members that live on the island and have lost their homes. We were scheduled to install a handicap bathroom, additional bedroom and various other jobs to help house those that lost their homes and are now all in the same home. We worry for our family members who cannot afford to lose their jobs due to the closure of W Maui. The information surfacing is very unclear. Can the governor please provide clarity. Is W Maui open for visitors or not? If not, when will they be?
Respectfully, would it make more sense for you to offer your timeshare to your family? Additionally, wouldn’t it make sense to request same of other timeshare owners by asking Whalers to facilitate the donation of timeshares?
The Whaler has already done this. There are several folks that lost their homes staying there now.
My family and I were coming to kaanapali Oct. 9th to the 16th, once the governor said no west maui till after Oct. 17th I talked with my host a very kind man and wife who said after the announcement he thought it be best to not come, so we canceled. We did move the trip to South Maui but if we were wanted in west maui and to help bring business we would have still come. It’s very confusing what the governor says and what others say. We dont want to upset people or come when it’s not time. I just wish we had clearer rules, and when exactly it’s ok. We did think closing the whole west maui was extreme due to all the businesses and places that do need to be open and working. And seeing videos or reading people saying to come. It’s hard to make a choice to still come when we are told no west maui isn’t and won’t be open till after October 17th. Very confusing.
I had a vacation plan in Kapalua to to celebrate my 40th wedding anniversary. It was scheduled for October 5th through the 14th but I canceled. I was encouraged to cancel. I would not have canceled if Kapalua was not affected. It’s our go-to place year after year. It’s a lovely place that my husband and I enjoy very much. Yes, we have visited Kaanapali and Lahaina but we often mainly stay in the Kapalua area. Our hearts go out to the people of Lahaina and all those who have lost their lives and their homes and family members. Of course, we like for those to also take the time to grieve and to take the time to rebuild. But, if we are welcome to visit in West Maui, we will gladly come. Again, our focus is in Kapalua and other parts of West Maui such as Napili, Kahana and the other side of Maui. We would love to help those on Maui and spend our money to help those to earn of living. Just let us know when we can come and we will be there. Looking forward to eating at the Merriman’s, Plantation House, visiting the beach of Kapalua Bay and Fleming’s beach.
You can donate to Maui charities. Why does helping have to involve your being on vacation?
You missed the theme here Gary. It’s about keeping people employed so they can support themselves and their families. Charity is thinly and unevenly distributed. If government is involved it is a lost cause.
“If government is involved, it is a lost cause.” That about sums it up. When are Americans going to wake up and start holding accountable these incompetent, corrupt politicians? The taxpayers pay them well and they make more money from the special interest groups. At least we should expect them to handle a catastrophe in an intelligent manner.
Aloha Rob+Jeff I think Jay’s comment was good. I read in the L.A. Times of a family of 16 living together in a house. They are blessed to have shelter, however they need to have their own space. It’s 4 related families. It’s also time for travellers to go back and help support the local economy. These locals rely on their jobs to keep going on with life. Mahalo on your excellent coverage as usual.
This is typical Hawaiian government. Not thinking of the residents or the need for the tourism dollars. It may not be ethically responsible to vacation in the area of Lahaina but spots like Kaanapali, Napili & Kapalua need tourism to survive. A majority of the workers are in the service industry and rely on tips as a major source of income. Some are on unemployment but that is only a percentage of their hourly rate. It’s not right that there is mixed messaging and why did they choose to close West Maui for over two months?
I know it doesn’t do a lot of good for now, but my wife and I will be keeping our reservations in Kihei for the first two weeks of November. We will respect the wishes of West Maui when we have a better understanding of what they are after we arrive.
Aloha.
I hope the powers to be re-think now what they have been saying and doing. The parts of Maui not burned down need tourism and, hopefully, it will come back quickly. What should be laid out clearly is where not to go, to be sincerely compassionate and generous to all workers you encounter and to donate as well to all those charities with boots on the ground. Maui and the entire state of Hawaii is a blessing to all fortunate enough to live there or visit there. But, please, do not heap suffering upon suffering to those who want to work and who need to work.
Upcountry Calvary Chapel is a church located in Maui. They have been aiding and helping all .The money you donate goes to the local people unlike donations to the Red Cross. They have a website and are taking donations
The unwillingness or inability of local and state leaders to grasp the economic implications of taking all of west Maui offline for tourism is shocking. It suggests a complete lack of understanding of economics, a core competency for anyone holding public office. How many businesses will be destroyed in the next two months as a result of this misguided proclamation? When third and fourth quarter financial statements come out bleeding red, what will they do then? It is imperative to get business up and running again or Maui will be seriously harmed for a very lomg time. We are all grieving about the loss of life but using that catasrophe as an excuse to attack Maui’s primary industry and source of revenue will do immense harm to the rest of the county.
We had a vacation planned for 10 days at Westin Kaanapali. We were suppose to stay 10/15-22. Because of the confusing messaging, we cancelled our stay, however I want to put the money into Maui, so we are going to Wailea instead, but will go to small shops and roadside banana bread and misc stores, every chance we get. We will over tip and be gracious. My heart sinks for Maui.
I am a bit confused about the confusion expressed by visitors and the BOH boys.
It was thirty years ago, but I’ll bet the BOH boys remember Hurricane Iniki. With $3 billion in devastation and damaged infrastructure, it was a sane decision to limit visitor arrivals then as it is for the time being now.
As for visitors and local businesses need for those visitors, Maui residents know that the Honoapiʻilani Highway is the only way to and from Lahaina. You Have to drive through the devastated area, full of toxic ash remains, to reach any of the communities north. Driving carries its own risks. There is a reason why responders are fully suited with respiratory or N-95 masks. Traffic simply increases the risk as toxic ash is thrown into the air.
Certainly the two disaster are different, and the time-consuming, but shorter period of cleanup, on Maui strikes me as a respectful and safer approach than simply opening up the devastated area until damaged structures can be effectively mitigated.
Re:JamesB post. No one is suggesting opening the devastated area for tourists. The rest of the island however can still be available for travellers to visit. Shutting down the whole island would be it’s doom without tourists.
Debra. Please read the Governor’s order. It specifically states that Wailuku, Kihei, Walea and the other areas of the county not in the path of the Lahaina fire are open for business. Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the Maui road system, but from the main airport, there is only one route that would take you to Kaanapali, Napili, Honokawai and Kapalua. That route and road runs directly through the Lahaina town devastation.
I am simply asking for calm, respect for the dead bodies undeniably still a part of the ash, protection for those who would be exposed to toxic dust and ash swept up, and a bit of time to professionally remove the debris.
I am not insensitive to the lives and livelihood affected by the disaster. My daughter and son no longer have their tourist-oriented business, and until the effects on the water, coral, fish and ecosystem are determined, they will not be able to operate.
So what, exactly, do you propose that all the workers at the west Maui resorts, restaurants, and stores should do for the next two months? Beg on the streets? When Oct. 17 rolls around, where will they work, as many of those businesses will simply shut down.
The bypass highway skirts the town of Lahaina. It does not go through residential areas, and barely brushes commercial areas, most of which were outside of the devastation zone. Yes, I have been there many times, before and after the bypass was completed.
West Maui, past Lahaina, is unaffected by the fires. The people that work there would face economic disaster if it is shut down until October 17. The governor’s and HTA proclamations are every bit as stupid as the decisions to not sound the warning sirens, to not turn on the water for firefighting, to ignore the risks from the electrical system needing updating, and to disregard the warnings about allowing grasses to grow unchecked in former agricultural lands and not build fire breaks.
There is no good answer. The best that I can offer is that unemployment insurance covers employees. The U.S. Small Business Administration also offers businesses affected by disasters low-interest, operational and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL).
Respectfully, hyperbole and casting blame also does not put money into people’s pockets.
As for the bypass, that cuts directly through a subdivision, a new, lower income apartment housing complex, numerous stores and 2 shopping centers that effectively are no longer there.
Are you willing to donate your paycheck to a local family that doesn’t have one anymore until they open up again?
The “officials” in Maui have been wrong from the beginning.
Before: Lack of vision, lack of preparedness.
During: Mass confusion, tragic shortness of water, no warning.
After: wrong assessment of the real need, wrong measures taken.
These people are not fit to lead and to take meaningful decisions.
I understand both sides. Those who lost homes need to find housing for a year or more so VRBO should rent to these people for long term. Aid people such as FEMA is more short-term like hotels.
The rest should be open to tourists to keep the jobs and economy going.