Travel to Hawaii in the Wake of Wildfires: What You Need To Know

As the full impact of the catastrophic wildfires that struck Maui this week continues to unfold, one thing is clear: The beloved island, and Lahaina in particular, has been devastated.

Once a whaling village and capital of the former Hawaiian kingdom, Lahaina has been all but wiped out. Nearly 80 percent of the community has been destroyed. That includes all of the historic buildings along Front Street that dated back to the 1700s.

As of today, the death toll from the raging wildfires has risen to 67 people. And scores of survivors on an island where housing was already in short supply, are now homeless and facing an uncertain future.

Meanwhile, officials on the island are working to disseminate key information and messages about the future of travel to Maui. The Hawaiian Tourism Authority (HTA) is asking that travelers refrain from visiting for the indefinite future.

“In the days and weeks ahead, our collective resources and attention must be focused on the recovery of residents and communities that were forced to evacuate their homes and businesses,” HTA said in a recent communication to the travel industry and travel media.

As part of the advisory, HTA offered the following recommendations: 

• Visitors who are on non-essential travel are being asked to leave Maui, and non-essential travel to Maui is strongly discouraged at this time.
• Visitors who have travel plans to West Maui in the coming weeks are encouraged to consider rescheduling their travel plans for a later time

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• Visitors with plans to stay in other parts of Maui and the Kohala Coast of Hawaiʻi Island in the coming weeks are encouraged to contact their hotels for updated information and how their travel plans may be affected.
• Travel to Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, and other parts of Hawaiʻi Island are not affected at this time.

• While Kahului Airport on Maui remains open at this time, residents and visitors with travel bookings are encouraged to check with their airline for any flight changes or cancellations, or for assistance with rebooking.

The HTA has also opened an assistance center at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center on Oʻahu for people evacuated from Maui who are unable to return home at this time. Support will also be provided at the assistance center to help visitors book accommodations or flights.

Wildfire damage in Lahaina, Maui. (Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

What to Know Now About Travel to Maui

For those with upcoming trips planned to the island, it’s best to remain patient and heed the guidance of the HTA, which includes considering visiting another destination or somewhere else in Hawaii.

The first priority of hotels is going to be the safety of guests who are currently in Maui. As a result, it may take some time to get responses regarding solutions for upcoming trips, advises Annie Jones, owner and advisor with Pennsylvania-based Telos Travel.

“The best thing you can do as a traveler is have patience and flexibility,” said Jones, who also pointed out that waivers are being provided by airlines that have flights impacted by the disaster. That means voluntary changes can be made without a fee or difference in fare if you are flying through Honolulu or Kahului within the next week or so. You may also be entitled to a refund if you need to cancel your trip altogether, added Jones.

Travel advisors across the country are busy helping their clients respond to the situation, including evacuating guests and revising upcoming plans when needed.

“In times of natural disaster, it's easy to get a little panicked if you have an upcoming trip. If you're working with a travel advisor, do your best to be patient,” said Jones. “We know whether your trip is being impacted and will work to come up with alternate solutions for you as quickly as possible.”

Long-Term Outlook

At this point, it's difficult to say what the future will hold for Maui and Lahaina. Those on the island are still grappling with the unimaginable disaster. Hundreds of people remain missing, fires continue to burn in some places, and shelters remain crowded with people who have lost everything. At least 1,700 structures in Lahaina were destroyed or seriously impacted by the wildfires.

"Natural disasters can be devastating and in this case, we have seen that the fires in Maui and on the Big Island are far more devastating than anyone would have imagined,” Kaysilyn Lawson, president of the hospitality consulting company KLHG and a former global hospitality COO, told TravelPulse. “The loss of life and infrastructure will take years to rebuild and more so, will take enormous resources to accomplish.”

In the short term, the island will be grappling with the heartbreaking displacement of thousands of locals, among them hospitality workers and their families. And speaking specifically of Maui’s and Lahaina’s tourism economy, Lawson said there will be a profound economic impact in terms of the loss of an entire industry “that largely sustained the economy of the island and even further, the state.”

There will also be infrastructure challenges ahead for Maui and Lahaina. “When you think about all that it takes to sustain life on an island, all of these things have been erased in a matter of moments,” continued Lawson. “Simple natural resources like water from local sources are now contaminated; local farming; schools, supermarkets; everyday resources are entirely inaccessible and will take many months or years to rebuild.”

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