Maui residents plead for delay in tourism reopening
Residents of Lahaina have pleaded with Hawaii Gov. Josh Green to push back plans to reopen West Maui to tourism.
A petition signed by more than 3,500 local residents was delivered to the Governor’s office and say the community is not ready to welcome tourists just yet.
In total, it has 14,000 signatures.
The reopening of West Maui is set to begin in phases in just a few days’ time.
The reopening doesn’t include the fire-ravaged town of Laihana where 98 people died in August.
The first phase of reopening begins on Sunday.
Although there is significant opposition to allowing tourist back now, there are mixed feelings.
Others have welcomed the move due to the local economy’s reliance on tourism.
Gov. Green said more than 8,000 people have lost their jobs due to both the fire and the tourism shutdown.
“It’s my job as Governor to support them, to be thoughtful about all people and to make sure Maui survives.”
Maui is one of the Hawaii’s most tourism dependent islands.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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