Mauiʻs recovery is top of mind for lawmakers as they begin their new legislative session. It was also the focus of a recent roundtable of tourism leaders on the island.
Among Pacific Business News' four guests on the tourism roundtable was Joshua Hargrove, general manager of The Westin Maui Resort & Spa of Kāʻanapali in Lahaina, who assumed the position just after the deadly August wildfires.
He was able to make it through the police barricade to reach the property on Aug. 13 for his first day on the job. However, he said phones were out, and email was down.
As soon as he could, Hargrove spearheaded an effort to provide shelter to about 1,000 residents displaced by the wildfires, as well as 70,000 room nights to relief and recovery groups.
The resort also distributed $850,000 in funding directly to associates and launched a community donation hub. The resort provided some 82,000 meals along the way.
Now Hargrove is on the front lines of Maui’s cautious re-embrace of tourism. The most recent visitor counts released in December and covering November 2023 show Maui’s visitation 30% below 2019 levels.
Hargrove also said the tourism messaging about visiting Maui is still guarded when it could be more welcoming.
Several of PBN's panelists agreed that the drive for regenerative tourism signals that Hawaiʻi only wants the "right kind" of visitor now. They worry this could backfire if it makes past or repeat visitors feel unwelcome.
