Kudos to Alaska Airlines for encouraging visitors to Maui, and offering sizeable discounts on air tickets. The airline says it will offer 40% off on tickets on flights to Maui until Oct. 18, 2023. The governor of Hawai’i currently has banned travel to West Maui until October 17.. West Maui is home to the fire-ravaged city of Lahaina and popular resorts in Ka’anapali, Kahana, Napili and Kapalua. Alaska Airlines’ website has a post with a series of interviews with Maui residents and business owners asking visitors to return in a respectful manner to open areas of the island and help Read more
Lahaina
I wrote a story last week that quoted Hawaii tourism officials as saying it’s a good time to visit Maui. The gist of the article was that many areas of Maui are open to visitors (west Maui won’t open until October 15), and that local workers need tourism to return so they can keep their jobs. Many readers agree, but some still don’t like the idea of visitors so soon after the August 8 fire that killed at least 115 people and destroyed almost all of the beautiful town of Lahaina. Here are some sample comments: “We will leave Maui Read more
If you’re a Maui lover and you’re wondering if it’s the right time to go, the Hawai’i Tourism Authority has an emphatic answer for you. “Yes.” I caught up with Kalani Ka’ana’ana, the authority’s chief brand officer, for an update on Maui tourism as he was boarding a plane on Wednesday. There have been suggestions in some quarters that it’s too early to return to the island, which saw the town of Lahaina burned to cinders earlier this month. At least 115 people are confirmed dead, and the missing persons count could be as high as 1,100. “I know it’s Read more
I’ve been telling myself it’s only a tree. But it seems to be a lot more. Lahaina, Maui has been home to a massive banyan tree for decades. It’s said to be the second largest Ficus benghalensis in the world, and it spreads over an entire block on Front Street, just steps from the Pacific Ocean. Planted 150 years ago, this handsome, romantic, shady tree has witnessed wedding proposals and probably a few break-ups. It’s thick vines have been swung on by kids for generations, and its multiple trunks carved into far too many times by visiting lovers. Still it’s Read more
I wrote last week about how Lahaina and Maui residents have to be at the forefront when the times comes to rebuild the city. I’m happy to see a community group has been formed to make sure that happens, and I’m also happy to see that the governor of Hawai’i and U.S. President Joe Biden (VERY late to the game, by the way) agree. The Maui News reports that a group called Na Ohana o Lele is calling on Governor Josh Green to ensure that “all decisions about rebuilding Lahaina” are made in the open and with the “full participation” of the Lahaina community. Read more
