Hawaii Reveals Next Phase of West Maui Reopening

The former Trump International Hotel, Waikiki, in Hawaii will reincarnate next year as the Wākea Waikiki Beach, part of LXR Hotels & Resorts, Hilton's luxury soft brand.

If you’re visiting Kaanapali now or in the near future, you may find yourself in the midst of a protest that could impact your ability to enjoy the popular West Maui beach, where the majority of the island’s resorts and hotels are located.

There’s a saying in Hawaii: there’s a cost to paradise. Among the US states, Hawaii had the highest cost of living in 2022, according to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center. The median price of a single-family home on Oʻahu is more than $1 million. And gas costs around $5 a gallon.

Through a variety of fundraising efforts including mileage donations and collection boxes from customers and employees in Japan and throughout the U.S. including Hawaii and the mainland, Japan Airlines raised over $132,000 to support relief and recovery efforts for communities affected by the devastating Maui wildfires that occurred in August 2023. The airline held a check presentation ceremony to the Hawaii Community Foundation on November 2 at the Governor’s Ceremony Room at the Hawaii State Capitol building.

After one of the most devastating wildfires in US history ripped through West Maui in early August, the island is preparing to fully reopen to tourists starting November 1.

Less than three months after a deadly wildfire destroyed the town of Lahaina, all hotels in West Maui are now back open to the public.

This series of articles about credit cards, points and miles, and budgeting for travel is brought to you in partnership with The Points Guy.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, November 1. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Maui’s western region will be fully reopened to tourism on Wednesday. Yet the recovery of the island as a whole remains uncertain two months after a wildfire devastated Lahaina and left nearly 100 people dead.

A new study commissioned by hotel chain Premier Inn has revealed the “most beautiful” cities to visit in the fall. The study used eye-tracking technology to record the average length of time the participants spent looking at the image of each destination to find which cities around the world were considered the most eye-catching during the autumn months.

After being born and raised on Maui, I moved to the mainland US to attend college in California and experienced a bit of culture shock.

Here is important travel news that everyone should know — the intoxicatingly beautiful island of Maui in Hawaii – our 50th state – is open and making a concerted effort to welcome compassionate travelers to the island right now. This comes in the wake of the devastating August wildfires that recently destroyed the town of Lahaina and surrounding areas. I consider this news as important, because so much discussion that we’ve heard of Maui on the mainland has been to a large extent misinformed and under the wrong impression: Many people believe that the entire island of Maui was affected by the wildfires, and as a result, there arose a misconception that the entire island was closed. Many people believe that they cannot visit Maui at all, and as a result, many could cancel long-planned trips to the island.