Hotels housing displaced residents reopen to visitors as wildfire relief efforts continue after August’s deadly wildfires.
Tourists enjoy the sunset near Maalea aboard a catamaran operated by Trilogy, a boating company based on Maui. LAHAINA, Maui — In Maalaea Harbor, Capt. Dani Kleinhenz stood on the bow of a 55-foot catamaran and greeted her passengers with an exuberant “Aloha!” In a race against the setting sun, she quickly launched into her pre-departure briefing. She shared the itinerary for the two-hour sail, described the drink specials and explained the inner workings of the onboard toilet.
“We lost loved ones, we lost homes, we lost businesses. For places that tourists would have gone to, we lost infrastructure, power, water, sewer or internet,” Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said a few days after he took the stage at the, a benefit that coincided with the reopening. “There was obviously devastation that impacted a tourist’s ability to enjoy certain areas. Hotels also became shelters and living places for our local community.”When Gov.
“I do not feel like it’s too soon,” Landon said between sips of coffee donated by VigiLatte, which set up shop in the hotel’s parking lot. “I am not angry about tourists, but I think they are going to be upset because it’s not their Maui anymore.”The precipitous drop in visitors three years ago underscored Maui’s heavy dependency on tourism.
Lindsey, whose deep roots in Lahaina included an ancestral home on Front Street, said he wants stricter zoning codes to discourage short-term rentals and mega-mansions; native plants to revitalize the land; and a cultural site at Moku’ula to honor the past.No one anticipated a rush of tourists for the reopening, and they were right. According to state data, the island received nearly 4,000 domestic arrivals on Oct. 8, significantly less than the 6,457 visitors from the same day last year.