Mauis economy needs tourists Can they visit without compounding wildfire trauma
#Mauis #economy #needs #tourists #visit #without #compounding #wildfire #trauma Mauis economy needs tourists Can they visit without compounding wildfire trauma.
The restaurant where Katie Austin was a server burned in the wildfire that devastated Hawaiis historic town of Lahaina this summer Two months later as travelers began to trickle back to nearby beach resorts she went to work at a different eatery But she soon quit worn down by constant questions from diners Was she affected by the fire Did she know anyone who died Hawaiis governor and mayor invited tourists back to the west side of Maui months after the Aug 8 fire killed at least 100 people and destroyed more than 2000 buildings They wanted the economic boost tourists would bring particularly heading into the year end holidays But some residents are struggling with the return of an industry that requires workers to be attentive and hospitable even though they are trying to care for themselves after losing their loved ones their friends their homes and their community Maui is a large island Many parts like the ritzy resorts in Wailea 30 miles 48 kilometers south of Lahaina where the first season of the HBO hit The White Lotus was filmed are eagerly welcoming travelers and their dollars Things are more complicated in west Maui Lahaina is still a mess of charred rubble Efforts to clean up toxic debris are painstakingly slow Its off limits to everyone except residents Tensions over the lack of long term affordable housing for wildfire evacuees many of whom work in tourism are peaking Dozens have been camping out around the clock on a popular tourist beach at Kaanapali a few miles north of Lahaina in protest Last week a group marched between two large hotels waving signs that read We need housing now and Short term rentals gotta go Hotels at Kaanapali are still housing about 6000 fire evacuees unable to find long term shelter in Mauis tight and expensive housing market But some have started to bring back tourists and owners of timeshare condos have returned Visitors stroll through a shopping mall and dine at open air oceanfront restaurants Austin took a job at a Kaanapali restaurant after the fire but quit after five weeks It was a strain to serve mai tais to people staying in a hotel or vacation rental while her friends were leaving the island because they lacked housing she said Servers and many others in the tourism industry often work for tips which puts them in a difficult position when a customer prods them with questions they dont want to answer Even after Austins restaurant posted a sign asking customers to respect employees privacy the queries continued Austin now hopes to work for a nonprofit organization advocating for housing More travel destinations will likely have to navigate these dilemmas as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of natural disasters Theres no manual for doing so said Chetikan Dev a tourism professor at Cornell University Handling disasters natural and manmade will have to be part of their business planning Andreas Neef a development professor and tourism researcher at the University of Auckland in New Zealand suggested one solution might be to promote organized voluntourism Instead of sunbathing tourists could visit part of west Maui that didnt burn and enlist in an effort to help the community Many travelers have been canceling holiday trips to Maui out of respect said Lisa Paulson the executive director of the Maui Hotel and Lodging Association Visitation is down 20 30 from mid December of last year according to state data Cancellations are affecting hotels all over the island not just in west Maui Paulson attributes some of this to confusing messages in national and social media about whether visitors should come Many people dont understand the islands geography or that there are places people can visit outside west Maui she said One way visitors can help is to remember theyre traveling to a place that recently experienced significant trauma said Amory Mowrey the executive director of Maui Recovery a mental health and substance abuse residential treatment center Thats the approach honeymooners Jordan and Carter Prechel of Phoenix adopted They kept their reservations in Kihei about 25 miles 40 kilometers south of Lahaina vowing to be respectful and to support local businesses For More News and Videos SUBSCRIBE and Turn Notifications On httpsbit ly2r0BEND Get a Digital Subscription to the Tampa Bay Times httpsbit ly2Xinunj Follow us Facebook httpswww facebook comtampabaycom Twitter httpstwitter comTB_Times Instagram httpswww instagram comtampabaytimes
Length Seconds : 132
Published : 2-Jan-24
Category : News Politics
Is Shorts : NO
Channel : Tampa Bay Times
Channel Link : https://www.youtube.com/@TampaBayTimes
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