“This is not the time to tourism. Please don’t come on vacation Maui“. With these words the actress Jason Momoa He worked last weekend to raise awareness among his followers about fires destroyer of heaven island related to Hawaii and more than a hundred people died. His message is in line with requests from local officials who want to temporarily halt arrivals in the archipelago to focus on rebuilding cities like the one below. cabbageturned to ashes.
the vast majority tourists he listened. Since the island was devastated by the biggest natural disaster in its history, approximately 46,000 people have left the island. When many are evacuated calls they were not closed yet. Arrivals on Sunday were down nearly 81% year-on-year, according to data compiled by Reuters from the Hawaii Department of Commerce, Economic Development and Tourism. little presence surfaces It can also be seen on the Flight Radar 24 map, a website that tracks worldwide flights on the island, particularly from outside the archipelago.
Others, however, chose to ignore the Hawaiian government’s demands. anger “Tourists are swimming in the waters where our people died three days ago,” a Maui resident told the BBC. British media portray an island divided into two classes: residents working to recover bodies and homes they lost. fires and the visitor bubble that remains in the less-affected glamorous hotel complexes of the Southwest.
Maui needs tourists
The discomfort of many locals, channeled through social mediaits opposite economic reality. Maui is dependent on tourism. 80% yours presence According to the development board, it feeds on the sector. In 2022, about 2.9 million tourists visited the island, spending about $5.69 billion. On the other hand, less than 165,000 people live here according to US Census data.
This fact, easily observable from the ground, was what prompted Hawaiian officials to debate what to do. while the teams to save They continue to search the land affected by the fires. deceasedThe government is examining all possibilities. The priority is to meet the urgent needs of the residents and to build new houses so that they can continue their lives. However, the island’s financial health also weighs heavily. And a lot.
The dilemma they face now is similar to that experienced at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19, when considering closing a border. “All of our people will have to survive, and we cannot afford not to have a job or a future for our children.” Josh Green, Governor of Hawaii. “When you restrict any travel to an area, it destroys its local residents more than anyone else.”
“No one told us anything”
The Hawaii Tourism Authority has asked visitors to avoid traveling to the western part of Maui, where Lahaina is located. This restriction will not affect Iñaki and his family, who in two weeks will embark on a sea route through the archipelago. to wander From Norwegian Line Cruises. “To our surprise, no one told us anything,” explains the 59-year-old Barcelona native. “Neither the shipping company nor the El Corte Inglés agency with which we deal is talking about what happened, so we’re waiting.” Their ship had planned to visit the eastern region unaware of the fire, where they would dock at the port of Maui in the north of the island for only two nights. “If they finally decide that we don’t stop in Maui, then bad luck is what happens,” he says. “You know these things can happen.”