Maui residents are still in shock from the fire that destroyed almost all of the small, lovely and immensely charming city of Lahaina. They don’t want to think about tourism right now, and I don’t blame them. But, at some point, tourists will return. At some point, tourists should return. But when is the right time? Is it September? Early October? U.S. Thanksgiving? The answer to that depends a lot on the individual. I know I couldn’t possibly go for a while, but I’m thinking I should probably visit in the next few months and spend a few dollars in Read more
U.S.A.
Florida tourism today announced the strongest international visitation numbers the state has seen since 2019. According to new estimates from VISIT FLORIDA, international visitors have dramatically increased travel to the Sunshine state. The first half of this year saw massive increases in overseas (+21.8%) and Canadian (+81.1%) visitation compared to the same time period in 2022. Florida welcomed a total of 33.1 million visitors between April and June 2023, with 1.9 million of those being overseas visitors and 846,000 Canadian visitors. Florida also continues to beat records with annual visitation with 70.8 million visitors in calendar year 2023. “VISIT FLORIDA Read more
The warning bells are going off in Hawai’i, and around the world. With the achingly beautiful town of Lahaina lying in smouldering ruins, locals and lovers of Maui and Hawai’i (such as me) are sounding the alarm about deep-pocket developers swooping in and grabbing gobs of property, and what that might mean in terms of over-development. Surely the city and Maui county have rules in place that have kept hotel chains from building 10-storey towers on Lahaina’s Front Street. But can government officials insist that new structures reflect the character of the old Lahaina? Can they demand that weathered wood Read more
Vacation travel to West Maui is strongly discouraged for the near future. Visitors in West Maui have largely heeded the call to leave the island. About 46,000 people have flown out of Kahului Airport since Wednesday. In the weeks ahead, the collective resources and attention of the federal, state and county government, the West Maui community, and the travel industry must be focused on the recovery of residents who were forced to evacuate their homes and businesses. Visitors with plans to stay in West Maui in the coming weeks and months are urged to consider rescheduling their travel plans Read more
One month ago today, residents of Lahaina, Maui woke up to what they thought would be a normal day. They might have heard about the fires an hour away in Pukalani, or they might have smelled a bit of smoke from a fire that was just starting in the hills above their city. But they couldn’t have possibly imagined the horror and destruction that was about to happen; a senseless fire that destroyed one of the most beloved cities in the world and cost so many lives. I can’t believe it’s been a month since so many people lost their Read more
