Long before a wind-whipped wildfire blasted through the island of Maui, tension existed between Hawaii’s kamaaina, or longtime residents, and the visitors some islanders resent for turning their beaches, mountains and communities into playgrounds.
It’s a love-hate relationship that dates back generations. But now that tension is building in the aftermath of a blaze that killed over 100 people and scorched the historic town of Lahaina, making it the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
The Maui Economic Development Board says tourism is “irrefutably” the economic engine of Maui, which saw 1.4 million visitors in just the first half of 2023. About 70% of every dollar generated in Maui can be attributed to tourism, according to the board. Villanueva said that’s the general roadmap he and his then-colleagues at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority followed in 2017 after the deadliest mass shooting in modern America unfolded at a country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip. Support the victims and the community first, then worry about the tourists.
“You need to do what you can to not let the situation snowball into something much worse,” Villanueva said. Green also has said it would be “catastrophic” if Maui’s tourism industry came to a halt right now, warning that it could lead to a “mass exodus” of residents.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Maui residents fill philanthropic gaps while aid makes the long journey to the fire-stricken islandNonprofits and volunteers in Maui have cobbled together countless improvised and urgent solutions since the deadliest wildfire in over a century hit their community.
Read more »
Maui residents fill philanthropic gaps while aid makes the long journey to the fire-stricken islandNonprofits and volunteers in Maui have cobbled together countless improvised and urgent solutions since the deadliest wildfire in over a century hit their community.
Read more »
Maui residents fill philanthropic gaps while aid makes the long journey to the fire-stricken islandNonprofits and volunteers in Maui have cobbled together countless improvised and urgent solutions since the deadliest wildfire in over a century hit their community
Read more »
Maui residents fill philanthropic gaps while aid makes the long journey to the fire-stricken islandNonprofits and volunteers in Maui have cobbled together countless improvised and urgent solutions since the deadliest wildfire in over a century hit their community.
Read more »
Maui residents fill philanthropic gaps while aid makes the long journey to the fire-stricken islandVolunteers on Maui have cobbled together countless improvised, urgent solutions in response to the country’s deadliest wildfire in over a century.
Read more »
Maui town ravaged by fire will ‘rise again,’ Hawaii governor says of long recovery aheadNative Hawaiians and others from a Maui community devastated by ferocious fire say they worry Hawaii’s governor is moving too quickly to rebuild what was lost. They say the grief is still raw…
Read more »