October 8, 2023Respectful travel to any of the Hawaiian Islands, including the accessible areas of Maui, is welcomed and encouraged, now more than ever. With the exception of Lahaina, West Maui accommodations have begun to reopen to visitors again.
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The implosion of Maui's economy, of which tourism comprises about 40 percent, has been swift and severe. State economic officials estimate that the island is seeing about 4,250 fewer visitors each day than normal, representing a loss of $9 million a day.
How the Maui fires consumed Lahaina. The fires on Maui are the deadliest in 100 years of U.S. history. Officials have confirmed the deaths of more than 100 people, with about 1,300 still missing. In Lahaina, West Maui, more than 2,200 homes, apartment buildings and other structures were damaged or destroyed.
While the pandemic pummeled Hawaii in its early stages, the Aloha State's tourism industry is back, and by some metrics, bigger than ever. The number of tourists from the U.S. mainland is higher than it was before the pandemic — and average spending per trip is also higher.
In August 2023, visitor arrivals to Oahu (507,702 visitors, +11.0%), Hawaii Island (152,951, +4.1%) and Kauai (131,628 visitors, +9.0%) increased while visitor arrivals to Maui (112,259 visitors, -57.8%) dropped significantly compared to August 2022.
Confirmed deaths: 988, becoming the country's deadliest wildfire in more than 100 years. Locating remains and identifying victims has been a difficult process.
In early August 2023, a series of wildfires, referred to as the Hawaii Firestorm by the United States government, broke out in the U.S. state of Hawaii, predominantly on the island of Maui.
Deadly wildfires in Hawaii, which killed over 100 people and forced thousands to evacuate, were fueled by a mix of land and atmospheric conditions that can create fire weather. A massive blaze destroyed much of the historic town of Lahaina, on Maui, and the search for victims continued as hundreds remained missing.
It's not possible to visit Lahaina or any of the burned areas in West Maui. Hotels that were in Lahaina town were destroyed by the fires. The hotels further west of Lahaina town, in Kaanapali, Kapalua, and Napili areas, were not destroyed by the fires.
In the days following the deadly wildfires, many Hawaiians told tourists to stay away. But a month later, officials are asking people to return responsibly.
Out of all the Hawaiian islands, Maui is facing the most erosion – data indicates that 85% of Maui's beaches are experiencing long-term erosion. West Maui, where the Kahana Sunset resides, has been heavily impacted by high waves and erosion, according to Owens.
Here's why. Fodor's Travel named Maui one of 10 destinations on its 2023 “No List” that tourists should reconsider visiting this year. The travel publication outlined 10 regions ranging from Antarctica to Italy that are threatened by environmental damage caused by overtourism and climate change.
The Safe Travels platform went offline on March 26, 2022, the existing data will be secured, encrypted and stored off-line in a safe manner. After three years, the data will be destroyed.