Travel in county Maui

The mass exodus of tourists is being felt all over Maui, Hawaii — even at one of the island's most popular restaurants.

Catastrophic wildfires on Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii destroyed homes and forced tens of thousands of residents and tourists to evacuate last month. As of August 29, The New York Times reported 115 confirmed fatalities. 

Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America will resume its weekly trips to Kahului, Maui starting on September 3, the cruise company announced on Wednesday. Norwegian Cruise suspended trips to the island in early August to avoid taking up local resources dedicated toward relief and combating the wildfires in West Maui.

Thousands of Maui residents have filed for unemployment after wildfires devastated part of the island and tourism plummeted, leading many local business owners to urge visitors to come back.

A family in Maui made a sign telling tourists to keep out of Lahaina while rescue efforts are ongoing.

Flight prices have been all over the place this past year.

Donations through the site help to provide relief and hope during hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and other disasters big and small.

Luxury Class properties earned RevPAR of $586 (-3.9% vs. 2022, +16.7% vs. 2019), with ADR at $918 (-5.5% vs. 2022, +51.7% vs. 2019) and occupancy of 63.8 percent (+1.1 percentage points vs. 2022, -19.2 percentage points vs. 2019).

Vacation rentals across Hawaiʻi reported increases in supply and average daily rate (ADR), with lower demand and occupancy, in July 2023 compared to July 2022. In comparison to pre-pandemic July 2019, ADR was higher in July 2023 but vacation rental supply, demand and occupancy were lower.

Twenty days have passed since a deadly wildfire was sparked in Lahaina on Maui’s west coast, but what caused the blaze to get out of control is still a matter of speculation.

The incongruous sight of tourists enjoying Maui's tropical beaches while search-and-rescue teams trawl building ruins for victims has outraged some residents.

The deadly wildfires on the island of Maui are likely to affect visitor — and airline — demand to the island for the “foreseeable future,” analysts at T.D. Cowen said Friday.

The healing from the tragedy in Maui will take time and residents are debating whether to encourage more tourism. Many officials and those in the industry are stressing that tourists are still welcome in parts of Maui and the rest of Hawaii and that the economic recovery is critical.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, August 24. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Expedia Group’s vacation rental brand Vrbo for the first time reversed its traditional guest refund policy, and is mandating that hosts refund guests in Maui.

As smoke rolled over their Lahaina neighborhood, Akanesi Vaa, her husband, and their three kids rushed to their car. The clear blue sky went grey, then black, in what seemed like a few heartbeats. Homes burned around them. Intense heat radiated through the car doors. Then came a banging at the window, as an elderly woman pleaded, “Please help me, I have a baby.” Vaa looked for a way forward: Should she keep moving to get her kids out of harm’s way, or stop to help this elder?

This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with 41-year-old Javier Cantellops, who owns three businesses in Maui, Hawaii: Sting J Maui , Island Style Diving , and Maui Dreams Dive Co . His businesses are based in Kihei, where he also lives. The essay has been edited for length and clarity.

A couple who were in Maui with their baby while the wildfires were raging described getting scammed while trying to arrange flights home.

In the throes of responding to the Maui wildfires that razed the celebrated town of Lahaina and claimed over 110 lives, Hawaii remains mostly open for tourism, despite the misgivings of both residents and tourists.

While locals in Maui, Hawaii, struggle to reckon with record-setting wildfires that burned homes, livelihoods, and entire neighborhoods to the ground, some say recovery is being made more painful by tourists visiting the island on vacation.

Hawaiian Airlines is offering people in need of an urgent escape from wildfires ravaging Maui $19 flights to safety.