After wildfires devastated parts of the Hawaiian island of Maui, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States, authorities warned visitors to stay away. But thousands stayed and others continued to arrive, angering residents after the tragedy that has left hundreds dead.
On Monday, at Wailea Beach in Maui, the sky was bright and clear. Luxury hotels lined up on the beach, their guests scattered across the sand. Some waded into the ocean, while others sat under umbrellas with white towels on their chairs.
Inside one of the hotels, beyond a pool, a two-tiered fountain, and a glass-walled habitat for the property’s parrot, was a wood-framed display advertising a relief fund for resort employees: the first sign of the destruction in Lahaina, just 30 miles away.
In the aftermath of the wildfires, the deadliest in modern US history, frustration has grown with tourists who have chosen to continue their vacations.
Many on Maui say the devastation has highlighted what is known as the “two Hawaiis,” one built for the comfort of visitors and the other, the tougher Hawaii lived by Hawaiians.
“It’s all butterflies and rainbows when it comes to the tourism industrysaid a 21-year-old Maui native and hotel employee who asked to remain anonymous.But what’s really underneath is kind of scary“.
Last Wednesday, a day after the wildfires, the county asked visitors to leave Lahaina and the island as a whole as soon as possible.
Officials soon urged people to avoid the island altogether except for essential travel. “In the days and weeks ahead, our collective resources and attention must be focused on resident recovery. and the communities that were forced to evacuate,” the Hawaii Tourism Authority said.
Many travelers heeded the advice. Immediately after the fires, some 46,000 people left the island. The grassy field that separates the airport from the highway that surrounds it is now lined with rows and rows of suddenly overstocked rental cars.
But thousands did not. Some ignored requests to leave Maui immediately, while others traveled there after the fire, decisions that angered some.
“If this happened to your hometown, would you want us to go? We have to take care of our own firstsaid Chuck Enomoto, a local resident.
Another Maui resident told the BBC that the tourists were swimming in the “same waters our people died in three days ago,” an apparent reference to a snorkeling excursion on Friday just 11 miles from Lahaina.
The dive company later apologized for running the tour, saying it had previously offered its vessel during the week to deliver supplies and rescue people, but that its design was inappropriate for the task.
tourism dependency
But the opposition to tourists is not without its complications since the island is economically dependent on these travelers. The Maui Economic Development Board has estimated that the tourism industry accounts for about four of every five dollars generated on the island, calling those visitors the “economic engine” of the county.
“They educate you by hating tourists,” said the young hotel worker. “But that’s really the only way to work on the islands. If it’s not tourism, then it’s construction.”
Several business owners expressed concern that the growing anti-tourist sentiment could further harm Maui.
“What I’m afraid is if people keep seeing ‘Maui is closed’ and ‘don’t come to Maui,’ what little business is left will go away,” said Daniel Kalahiki, a food truck owner in Wailuku. Sales have already fallen 50% since the fire, he said. “And then the island is going to lose everything.”
From one to another Hawaii
In the days after the fire, the disparity between Maui residents, reeling from catastrophic losses, and isolated resorts came into full view.
In a Hawaiian, the locals are facing a severe housing crisis. Many live in modest one-story houses in neighborhoods like Kahlui and Kihei, some in multi-family housing, with each family separated by a curtain or a thin plywood wall.
And working multiple jobs is common to keep up with rising costs, locals told the BBC. Jen Alcantara shrugged in surprise that she worked for a Canadian airline as well as held a senior administrative position at the Maui hospital. “That’s Hawaii,” she said.
In this Hawaii, the effects of the fires are everywhere. In shops and supermarkets, evacuees search for essentials, trying to replace their lost belongings with the money they have. In restaurants, workers in kitchens and behind bars can be seen holding back tears and making phone calls to coordinate relief efforts.
Collections for the survivors were being taken almost everywhere here. An upscale cafe in Kahului was offering to refrigerate donated breast milk. Food truck owners volunteered their services on the front lines, and farmers brought bananas to shelters.
Things are different in the other Hawaii.
As you reach the end of the 30-minute drive from the island’s urban center to Wailea, where Maui’s luxury resorts and vacation rentals are located, the land suddenly changes. Dry brown grasses turn a rich green color denoting that they have been well watered.
“It’s a blunt line,” said a local, another hotel employee who did not want to be named.
Within Wailea, gated communities border golf courses, which are connected to luxury hotels. Inside those hotels, friendly staff provide surfing lessons and poolside food, including a $29 burger.
Staff told the BBC that many of the tourists were showing solidarity with the crisis in the west of the island. Others, however, had complained about the cancellation of scheduled activities in Lahaina (horseback riding or zip lining), said Brittany Pounder, 34, an employee at the Four Seasons hotel.
The day after the fires, a visitor from California asked if he could still make his dinner reservation at Lahaina Grill, a restaurant in one of the hardest-hit areas of the city. “It’s not right,” Pounder said.
There is growing concern that the eventual redevelopment of Lahaina will further satisfy this second Hawaii.
Wealthy visitors have already contributed to exorbitant housing prices, buying up land and property in a place where homeownership is out of reach for many permanent residents. Famous billionaires Peter Thiel and Jeff Bezos have homes on Maui. Oprah Winfrey is the largest landowner on the island.
Rumors have spread of real estate agents approaching Hawaiian homeowners in Lahaina to ask about possible deals.
Several locals told the BBC they were concerned that Lahaina would be transformed into another Waikiki, Honolulu’s posh waterfront dominated by waterfront skyscrapers and high-end brand-name shops.
“We don’t need another Waikiki,” Chuck Enomoto said. “But it’s unavoidable.”
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BBC-NEWS-SRC: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/articles/cpdj97eg0jjo, IMPORTING DATE: 2023-08-15 22:30:15
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