Some Maui residents are speaking out about the need to take care of the tourism industry. Although we must mourn and remember the victims of the forest fire disaster, there is a consensus that if we do not take care of our main industry, tourism, there may be a bigger economic fallout.<\/p>\n
Mr. S, a Maui resident, explained that while we need time to remember and mourn the pain of those affected by the forest fire, we should not forget that there are residents who need jobs to make a living. Tourism, Hawaii’s main industry, has played a particularly large role in Maui.<\/p>\n
The Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) said that 1.4 million people visited Maui in the first half of 2023 alone and explained that the tourism industry is Maui’s economic engine. According to the Maui Economic Development Commission, as much as 70% of Maui’s tax revenue comes from tourism.<\/p>\n
Rafael Villanueva, director of TEN (Tourism Expert Network), a tourism industry advisory firm, explained that while everything must be devoted to disaster response, it is also important to establish a reconstruction plan. He added that keeping residents employed will be key to reconstruction. Director Villanueva mentioned the shooting incident that occurred at the Las Vegas Country Music Festival in 2017 and hinted that the response implemented by the Las Vegas tourism authorities and government could serve as a reference.<\/p>\n
At the time, the Las Vegas government took swift action to maintain tourists by repairing the damage and promoting safety, without a separate mourning period immediately after the disaster. Governor Josh Green said people should avoid visiting West Maui, where the wildfires occurred, but emphasized that tourism is still operating normally in other parts of Maui and neighbouring islands.<\/p>\n
In addition, he assumed that if Maui’s tourism industry was halted, a large-scale exodus of residents could occur, and warned that the closure of tourism would be another disaster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"