Parts of West Maui officially reopened to tourists Sunday, two months after the wildfires blazed through Lāhainā. The hope is that visitors will bring a much-needed boost to the island economy, but much of the community is still recovering.
Hotels from Kapalua to Kahana are officially open to visitors, but they’re not exactly packed.
Lisa Paulson, Executive Director of the Maui Hotel and Lodging Association, said occupancy rates show a very slow ramp-up.
“This week as an average, it’s about 12% in West Maui,” Paulson said. “And that includes all of the areas that are in Kapalua, Nāpili, Honokōwai and timeshare properties.”
That rate is expected to climb to 32% by mid-November. On the south side of the island, in popular tourist destinations like Wailea and Makena, occupancy is currently at 55% and expected to take a slight dip into mid-November.
The phased-in reopening is happening in three phases beginning with a 3-mile stretch of the coast from Kapalua to Kahana — about 10 miles northwest of Lāhainā — and working its way south and east toward Kaʻanāpali.
The last phase to reopen will include hotels where most of the displaced residents are sheltering. Paulson said residents will not be displaced by visitors.
“That’s just not going to happen,” Paulson said. “There are so many accommodation units throughout the islands and we are going to keep them in these accommodations and actually try to find better accommodations for them with kitchens, yards, and laundry facilities because it’s going to take a while.”
The reopening comes despite a petition signed by more than 16,000 calling on Gov. Josh Green to delay it. Maui County Councilmember Tamara Paltin was one of them. She’s concerned West Maui lacks the infrastructure necessary to welcome tourists back.
“You know like ‘Oh, West Maui is open, but’ there’s no Lāhainā, there’s very limited activities, there’s very limited infrastructure, and a lot of the roads are blocked off,” Paltin said. “Some places are still without water, some places are still without electricity.”
But it’s displaced residents who work in the visitor industry that she’s most concerned about — and questions they may get from tourists about their own stories of personal loss.
“People just aren’t up for the questions, and the questions that they get, they get it over and over and over again,” Paltin said.
“But even as a tourist to know how to not exacerbate the situation is difficult," she continued.
There’s no set timeline for the next phase of the reopening, but Councilmember Paltin hopes more community input and coordination can be done to ensure this process works for everyone involved.
