West Maui reopens amid backlash, with some saying tourism is emotional but necessary

Tourists were officially welcomed back to West Maui on Sunday, exactly two months after devastating wildfires displaced thousands of residents, killed 98 people and destroyed hundreds of buildings.

Historic Lahaina Town – once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom – was, and is still, unrecognizable. Cleanup of debris has barely begun.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green announced on Sept. 8 that the unaffected areas just north from where the fire took place would reopen to travelers so “people from Hawaii and around the world can resume travel to this special place and help it begin to recover economically,” he said in a news conference.

To kick off the reopening, five hotels and eight timeshare condos in West Maui started accepting guests and owners, starting with 3 miles of the northwestern coast.

Tourists and residents alike have been grappling with the island’s reopening plans, with some wondering if it’s insensitive to bring back visitors months after the deadliest wildfire in recent U.S. history. Besides palpable grief, residents fear the government will prioritize visitor dollars over their urgent needs, like education and housing, but what hangs in the balance is the livelihoods of many of them.

How important is tourism to Maui?

“Maui on its own is clearly the biggest tourism hub of the neighbors, even in comparison to Honolulu,” said Peter Fuleky, professor of economics at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. While the island only accounts for 12% of the state’s jobs, it makes up one-third of the visitor spending statewide, according to a recent report by the Economic Research Organization at the University of Hawaii. In 2021 and 2022, Maui was the most visited island over Oahu.

Visitor arrivals on Maui in August dipped more than 60% compared to the month prior, according to data from the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

The reopening of West Maui – home to over half of all the accommodations on the island – has been controversial as recovery from the fires has been slow and emotional for residents. Some West Maui residents accept respectful visitors looking to support local businesses and volunteer while others want to delay the reopening for more time to heal.

Prior to the reopening, the state and county released sensitivity messaging, asking tourists to be respectful and not take inappropriate photos.

“I know we are still grieving, and it feels too soon, but the reality is there are those in our community who are ready to get back to work. Bills need to be paid, keiki (children) have needs and our kupuna (elders) face continued medical care,” Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said in a video statement.

What does the reopening of West Maui mean?

The reopening of West Maui has been billed as a “phased setting” by Bissen. During the first phase, all travel restrictions to Kaanapali, Napili, Honokowai and Kapalua have been lifted. Hotels will open in groups.

“No one should be discouraged or reluctant to go and support the businesses and workers that rely on tourism in West Maui for their families’ livelihood,” according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority website.

Meanwhile, Lahaina remains closed to the public “until further notice out of respect to the town’s residents.” About two weeks ago, the first group of Lahaina residents were allowed to visit their properties and survey the damage in protective gear due to highly toxic ash.

Even though state officials dated the reopening on Sunday, tourism recovery is expected to be “very slow,” according to Carl Bonham, professor of Economics at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and founding member of the Economic Research Organization.

An 80% recovery of pre-fire visitor levels isn’t expected in Maui until the end of 2024, according to the Economic Research Organization.

“Even if they didn’t do a phase reopening, there’s no reason to believe there would suddenly be tens of thousands of visitors rushing into West Maui,” he said.

The date is to help travelers plan future trips to the island. “It’s about learning some of the lessons from the pandemic where we didn’t make the announcement that we were reopening on a date in the future until well behind the point when we were ready, then it takes time for people to plan,” Bonham said.

'We need responsible tourism': Maui businesses plead tourists to help economy after fires

Merriman’s Kapalua, an oceanfront restaurant in West Maui since 2009, is one of those businesses ready to reopen its doors. Since the fires, the restaurant has been delivering hundreds of free meals and operating as a place with free Wi-Fi for West Maui residents. When in operation, about 90% of the produce used is sourced from local farmers.

“It’s absolutely not too soon (to reopen West Maui),” the restaurant’s owner, Peter Merriman, told USA TODAY. He said many of his employees want to go back to work. “If people feel like it’s too soon, that’s fine, they don’t have to go back to work.”

Merriman said that without the official reopening, the restaurant would have stayed closed for a little longer, but he feels like it’s his “civic duty” for travelers to West Maui to have somewhere to go eat. “We’re probably going to lose money for the first several months we’re open, but it’s our responsibility,” he said.

Even though his doors will be open, Merriman’s “really worried” how many patrons will even walk through his doors. “I think it’s going to take close to a year where people will feel comfortable to go to West Maui,” Merriman said.

Jesse Imbach, a 46-year-old Maui resident, lost his restaurants in Lahaina to the fire and is looking for a new location to relaunch the business. Imbach said he’s OK with a phased reopening but worries that it will take away resources from locals or bring over “macabre-type tourists” who are interested in seeing the aftermath of the tragedy.

The day before the reopening, Bissen shared in a statement how he wants “visitors to understand that our island is making its way through a devastating tragedy.” Officials have launched several online resources for visitors to find more information about how to donate, volunteer and plan their trips to Maui, such as the Maui Strong website and the Hawaii Tourism Authority website. A list of local businesses to support can be found at Maui Nui First.

“We should be really thoughtful about impacting the folks who are still emotionally reeling from the loss of their heritage and their livelihood, and their history and their family home,” Imbach said. “The key thing is encouraging tourists to behave well is really important, because the community is definitely still hurting.”

How soon is too soon to reopen?

To access the parts of West Maui that are reopening means people will have to drive through burn zones, which have mostly been covered by fencing. Many residents aren’t ready to enter the tragedy-stricken area yet.

Earlier this month, people gathered at the state Capitol in Honolulu to speak out against the Oct. 8 reopening and drop off a petition with 14,000 signatures to the Governor’s office.

One of those in support of the petition is Blake Ramelb, who was born and raised in Lahaina but lives in Napili. He told USA TODAY that the "timeline of this just felt so rushed in so many ways, two months is definitely not enough time."

"People didn’t get a chance to grieve, not only because it’s just been two months but they don't know where they’re going to live tomorrow," he said. He added that the quick reopening has also taken a toll on the mental health of many residents, who are already struggling from the tragedy itself.

The Maui City Council voted unanimously for a resolution on Friday that echoed pleas to delay the reopening, saying the two-month anniversary was not “trauma-informed.”

“It's really hard to know what is the right decision, honestly, because you're balancing between protecting your community and people who are completely devastated, and economic, financial implications of not opening,” said Jan Jones, a lecturer and coordinator for hospitality and tourism management at the University of New Haven.

But some argue that small businesses need tourists, especially after taking a hit from the pandemic. One recent study found the island lost more than $13 million of visitor spending per day in the weeks after the fire, according to the Economic Research Organization.

“The small businesses can’t weather another storm. They just can't,” said Jerry Agrusa, a hospitality and tourism management professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Shidler College of Business.

Agrusa said tourists can help the island’s recovery by being mindful of where they spend their money.

“Eat lunch in a family-owned restaurant. Look for the smallest person that does tours. Look for the local guy who gives surf lessons. Look for the ones that are greatly affected, where they don't have these great companies behind them,” he said. “That would be so helpful right now.”

Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at kwong@usatoday.com. Bailey Schulz is a general assignment money reporter based in Las Vegas. You can reach her at bschulz@usatoday.com.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Should I visit Maui now? West Maui reopens to tourism after fires