Somehow I missed it, but I now see that the Hawaii Tourism Authority has launched a campaign to boost Maui tourism. Called Mākaukau Maui, which means “Maui is Read,” the campaign seeks to let would-be visitors know that it’s a good time to visit.
“We wanted to offer a platform and a voice for them to make that invitation to folks,” T. Ilihia Gionson, the Hawai’i Tourism Authority’s public affairs officer, said in a story in Skift magazine.
“We’re almost nine months since the fire, and we continue to hear ‘We’re not sure if Maui is open,’ or ‘We’re not sure if we should go,’ he said.
I’ve written about this several times since the deadly fires on August 8 of last year, which killed some 100 people and destroyed almost all of the historic city of Lahaina. It’s had a strong effect on tourism, especially in west Maui. Tourism is far and away the biggest industry on Maui, a fact some locals would understandably like to change.
It took time for Maui to re-open following the disaster, but officials slowly began encouraging visitors to visit responsibly. That includes being respectful of locals who are still recovering from the immense psychological and physical damage they and their families suffered, and, of course, avoiding areas of Lahaina that are still being cleared of debris.
Here’s a link to a story I wrote shortly after the fires.
“The feedback I’m getting is that a lot of folks are being very respectful,” Gionson said in the Skift story. ”They are heeding the restrictions to stay out of the fire-affected areas.”
He also said the Hawai’i Tourism Authority doesn’t want to lead the conversation about Maui’s recovery. W
“It’s a community conversation that needs to be had,” Gionson stated.
Panna Speas Cappelli at the Maui Hands gallery in Makawao. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Tourism recovered fairly quickly in the popular Kihei/Wailea area of Maui, but west Maui, where Lahaina is located, has been much been slower to get back to business. Reports say visitor spending fell by by a sizable 19% in January of this year, and that some locals are worried about their unemployment benefits running out.
Still, there are signs of hope. The world-famous Banyan Tree that was the centrepiece of Lahaina for decades appears to be coming back to life, and a couple of restaurants in north Lahaina have reopened, including the lovely Mala Ocean Tavern.
I was at Ka’anapali Beach and Napili Beach on West Maui last November and it was fairly busy. Not quite packed like it might have been in 2019, but pretty good.
It’s still a tricky balancing act on Maui these days. But I do think it’s important for tourists to return and make sure that hotel, restaurant and attraction workers keep their jobs, or get them back. There’s plenty of time later to talk about other types of investment to help lessen Maui’s reliance on tourism.
My advice is still to go to Maui. Please go. And visit responsibly. Try local restaurants, not just the hotel places or chains. Smile every time you can. Don’t pry into people’s personal lives. Don’t take photos of damaged areas. Pray for Maui and Lahaina, and please visit. Mahalo.
AIR CANADA WINS PRIZED IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT AWARD
Air Canada. (CNW Group/Air Canada)
I’ve always said Air Canada has one of the best entertainment systems in the air. Maybe I was right.
Canada’s largest airline has won the 2024 APEX Best in Entertainment Award in North America for its in-flight entertainment (IFE) offering, presented March 26 at the APEX Awards in Lisbon. This is the first time the airline has won this APEX award, which is based on ratings the organization received from thousands of passengers who flew with Air Canada.
“I am extremely proud of the recognition as 2024 APEX Best in Entertainment Award in North America, reflecting the unparalleled entertainment offering onboard our aircraft. With thousands of hours of movies, TV shows and audio podcasts available, our customers clearly are appreciative of the wide variety of options during their flights. I thank our customers for their loyalty. We’re continuing to add content to our on-demand and live IFE offerings, so stay tuned as more exciting products will be rolled out soon,” said John Moody, Managing Director, Onboard Product at Air Canada.
Air Canada’s complimentary and extensive in-flight entertainment programming features more than 1,400 hours of movies, 1,900 hours of television shows and more than 600 hours of music and podcasts, and a selection of live tv stations.
The system features collaborations with Apple TV+, Audible, Disney+, Hayu, and others, bringing hours of movies, tv episodes, specialty channels, music albums, other video and audio content and games in multiple languages from boarding to landing.
On three of the airline’s newly retrofitted Airbus A321 aircraft, passengers have the ability to view exterior cameras via the IFE screens, showing their flight from a bird’s eye view thanks to cameras mounted in the tail or belly of the aircraft. This feature is a first for a narrow-body aircraft anywhere in the world. All 15 aircraft in the Airbus A321 fleet are expected to have exterior cameras installed by the end of 2025.
