Tourism Resumes Two Months After Wildfire in West Maui, Hawaii

Travel Ban Lifted... Economic Impact Considered
About 10,000 Residents Petition "Premature"

Hawaii's Maui Island has resumed tourism operations in the western Maui region two months after a large-scale wildfire disaster.

On August 17 (local time), search and rescue workers are conducting operations in Lahaina on Maui Island, Hawaii, USA, devastated by a large wildfire. Photo by Yonhap News

According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority on the 8th (local time), the travel ban imposed on the western Maui region since the wildfire outbreak on August 8 has been officially lifted from this day.

Richard Bissen, Mayor of Maui, said in a video posted on social media the day before, "We welcome people visiting Maui Island," adding, "We hope visitors understand that our island is overcoming a tremendous tragedy and come to Maui with sensitivity and compassion."

Authorities recommended that hotels along the 3-mile (approximately 4.8 km) stretch from The Ritz-Carlton in Kapalua in northwest Maui to Kahana Villas open starting today.

However, the coastal town of Lahaina, which was almost reduced to ashes by the fire, remains closed, and the area will be gradually reopened starting from the northernmost part.

According to the Associated Press, five hotels in the area have started accepting guest reservations again.

Lisa Paulson, an executive of the Maui Hotel & Lodging Association, predicted, "The number of visitors will increase very slowly."

However, some residents, especially those displaced from Lahaina, oppose the reopening of tourism, saying it is premature. The New York Times and others reported that about 15,000 people signed a petition submitted by local residents asking authorities to delay the reopening of tourism.

Authorities currently judge that continuing to block visitors is unreasonable given the region's high dependence on tourism for its economy. According to the Maui Economic Development Board, 70% of Maui Island's total income is directly or indirectly connected to the tourism industry. In this situation, a research team from the University of Hawaii analyzed that since the wildfire outbreak in August, Maui has been losing more than $13 million (approximately 1.75 billion KRW) in tourism revenue daily.

Mayor Bissen said, "Everyone is still grieving, and I know it feels too soon (to reopen tourism), but the reality is that we have to pay various fees and provide for our children’s needs." He added that they will do their best to ensure that displaced residents currently staying in hotels are not displaced by travelers.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.