From just outside the burn zone in Lahaina, Jes Claydon can see the ruins of the rental home where she lived for 13 years and raised three children. Little remains recognizable beyond the jars of sea glass that stood outside the front door.
05.09.2023 - 08:47 / insider.com / Josh Green
Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler said tourists should keep visiting Maui, during the band's first The Farewell Tour concert in Philadelphia on Saturday.
Tyler, who purchased a $4.8 million Maui home in 2012, encouraged tourists to continue vacationing on the Hawaiian island and added that visiting Maui can help local tourism pick up again so the economy can recover.
"When you think about Lahaina, think about south Maui," Tyler said in a video of the concert posted on YouTube, adding that the resort towns of Paia and Hana, which were not affected by the wildfires, are ready to receive tourists.
"Everything's beautiful, except we gotta come there and make it more beautiful, OK?" Tyler continued.
Maui residents have had mixed reactions to tourists visiting the island. One family with a 10-generation history in Lahaina — the West Maui island that was hit hardest by the fires — put up a sign telling tourists to keep out of their neighborhood.
In August, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said tourists should avoid traveling to West Maui but are encouraged to keep visiting other parts of Maui and Hawaii.
"No one can travel to West Maui right now. We will share when that is possible again. Only returning residents and authorized emergency relief workers should come here now. But all of the other areas of Maui… and the rest of Hawai'i are safe," Green said in a press release.
"When you come, you will support our local economy and help speed the recovery of the people that are suffering right now," Green added.
Over 100 people were killed in the wildfires in Maui last month, and more than 300 were said to be missing. Some 6,000 Lahaina residents have been displaced, forcing them to stay in hotels and short-term rentals as reconstruction efforts could take several years, according to a report by the Associated Press.
Tyler's representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular office hours.
From just outside the burn zone in Lahaina, Jes Claydon can see the ruins of the rental home where she lived for 13 years and raised three children. Little remains recognizable beyond the jars of sea glass that stood outside the front door.
It’s been ten days since Hawaii’s governor announced that West Maui would reopen to tourists on October 8th, but the debate seems to just be heating up now.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green has been a busy man.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, September 15. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
As travellers look to support Maui’s recovery efforts this fall, Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea invites guests to come back, and in turn, give back to the island through thoughtfully curated offers and programming that celebrate and support community, culture, and conservation.
Maui’s tourism recovery has been moving at a sluggish pace since the wildfires devastated the island’s western region in early August. One factor: Tourists have been slow to return out of sensitivity to locals.
As the plane descends to Maui’s airport in Kahului, it’s readily apparent how sharply tourism has dropped off following the massive fires a month ago: hundreds of unrented rental cars parked in a field near the runway. In the aftermath of the blaze that leveled the historic town of Lahaina and caused so much personal suffering and loss, it was understandable for Hawaii’s Governor Josh Green to advise visitors not to come to Maui. Now facing the financial devastation of an island that depends on tourism, the government changed its position and is urging visitors to come, including to the resort areas of West Maui north of Lahaina which are reopening October 8th. But should visitors listen?
West Maui will officially welcome visitors again next month following the devastating wildfires that swept the paradise destination in August.
Hawaii will reopen most of West Maui to tourists starting on October 8, Governor Josh Green announced on Friday. Only Lahaina will be remained closed to the public. Tourists will be able to visit Kā‘anapali, Nāpili, Honokōwai, and Kapalua.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green announced last week that West Maui’s hotels and resorts would reopen to visitors as soon as October 8th.
Governor Josh Green, M.D., today declared in a statewide address that the West Maui communities of Kā‘anapali, Nāpili, Honokōwai, and Kapalua will fully reopen on Sunday, October 8, two months after the August 8 wildfires that destroyed Lahaina.
After the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority initially asked all tourists to leave the island of Maui, Governor Josh Green invited visitors back to the island just two weeks later, citing the need for economic recovery.