Gaston. Cruella de Ville. Captain Hook. Maleficent. Scar. The Evil Queen. The list goes on.
04.08.2024 - 14:33 / insider.com / Lisa Paulson
A year after a wildfire ripped through Maui and devastated parts of Lahaina Town, tourism has yet to recover — even though right now might be a great time to visit, according to the general manager of the resort where season one of HBO's "The White Lotus" was filmed.
"Outside of the five square miles of the historic Lahaina Town, which is still closed, all of the rest of Maui is fully open, fully functioning, and actually has been since fairly early after the fires," Ben Shank, the general manager at the Fours Seasons Resort Maui, told Business Insider.
In August of last year, a wildfire tore through Lahaina's historic downtown, destroying homes and businesses and displacing thousands.
In the immediate aftermath of the fires, some prominent public figures discouraged tourists from visiting Maui while the community recovered, even though most areas of the island were not directly impacted by the fires and remained open.
Some locals and business owners were quick to encourage tourists to return, citing the importance of tourism to the island's economy. According to the Maui Economic Development Board, around 70% of every dollar in Maui County is generated, either directly or indirectly, by the tourism industry.
Tourism numbers from June 2024 show that nearly a year on, visit numbers had yet to return to their pre-fire levels. The number of visitors to the island in June 2024 was 22% lower than June 2023, while visitor spending decreased by 27%, according to the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Total visitor spending was down more than $800 million in the first six months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
Related stories
Shank said the good news is that the recovery of Lahaina is making some progress, with excavation ongoing and residential properties starting to be rebuilt. Now he said many are trying to get the message out to tourists that they are not only welcome but encouraged to return.
"By people traveling here, they are actually giving back and contributing not only for their own personal experience, but just the lifeline of how the island works," Shank said.
A recent study conducted by the Hawaii State Rural Health Association surveyed more than 2,000 Maui locals, including some impacted by the fires. The study found 72% of Maui County residents — from all over the county, not just where the fires were — said they were directly or indirectly impacted by the fires.
The study also found most residents, regardless of where they lived, were more worried than hopeful about their future on the island.
Lisa Paulson, the executive director of the Maui Hotel and Lodging Association, told BI she thinks part of the reason tourism has not fully recovered is the
Gaston. Cruella de Ville. Captain Hook. Maleficent. Scar. The Evil Queen. The list goes on.
Dangerous wildfires near Athens, Greece forced hundreds to evacuate the suburbs north of the country's capital on Monday, August 12, reported to be the worst fire the Mediterranean country has seen so far this year.
You don’t hear about Central Florida very often, and when you do, chances are it has something to do with Walt Disney World. But just over an hour north of the famed resort complex is the mid-sized city of Ocala, a destination bursting with superlatives, including “America’s largest spring” and “horse capital of the world.”
Victoria Craparotta and Flavio Fabiani had a decision to make.
While most American cities aren’t considered easy to navigate by foot, a recent study by travel insurance experts AllClear ranked one popular Southern city as the most walkable in the country. AllClear examined topographical information for more than 240 cities around the world, taking into account average elevation and range, and assigned each city a score — and ultimately, it was New Orleans that was named the most walkable city in the U.S. and the fourth most walkable city globally.
The Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehment Nuri Ersoy, has announced the tourism figures for the first half of 2024. Nearly 1.8 million UK tourists visited Türkiye in the first six months of 2024, marking an impressive 19% increase from the first six months of 2023.
I've stopped in 10 cruise ports, from the US to the Caribbean to the Mediterranean. I've even been to some of the busiest cruise ports in the world, such as Barcelona and Cozumel, Mexico, where I stood in long lines and shuffled through crowds to find my tour guides.
Maui wants you to come back to paradise.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kayla Sommese, a Taylor Swift fan who traveled from Los Angeles to Vienna to catch Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. It has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has verified her expenses.
Maui still faces an uphill battle for a full tourism recovery one year after one of the deadliest wildfires in Hawaii’s history.
Former American Airlines chief commercial officer Vasu Raja said he believes the future of the airline industry lies in loyalty programs and long-haul premium travel.
On a particularly relaxed Friday in August, I spent the morning with my two best friends in the Tulum jungle, splashing around what I'm quite sure is the world's most entertaining pool. We were at the Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya Resort's spa pool, which comes tricked out with mystery buttons around the perimeter, each setting off a variety of jets, waterfalls, and even a surge of bubbles bursting out from a lounger submerged a foot below the water's surface.