LAHAINA >> Discord over the phased reopening of West Maui tourism Sunday, which marked two months since the deadly and destructive Lahaina wildfire, was expected to draw gatherings of protesters.
Instead, one of the larger visible gatherings was at the Lahianaluna Memorial at the intersection of Lahainaluna Bypass and Lahainaluna Road into West Maui. About five groups were there to honor family and friends who were lost in the devastating wildfire, which killed at least 98 people and destroyed about 2,200 buildings, most of them homes.
The groups were mourning and putting fresh flowers at the site, where crosses represent loved ones who perished in the Aug. 8 Lahaina wildfires. Flags that reflected the broad ethnic makeup of the diverse working-class community were placed above the flower- and lei-adorned crosses. They ranged from the traditional Hawaiian flag to flags from the Philippines, Japan, Mexico, Tonga and more.
It was a respectful and solemn gathering. It was fairly quiet Sunday at Kahului Airport, too, and throughout West Maui’s commercial districts, resorts and beaches.
State Sen. Angus L.K. McKelvey (D, West Maui-Maalaea-Waikapu-South Maui) told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that he thought Sunday’s tourism reopening was quiet because people were focused on marking two months since the devastating fire. However, he said the continued lack of support for those who suffered losses in the fire is creating a sense of resignation and rage.
“I hope it stays peaceful, but every day that basic needs are not met properly could prompt civil unrest. This could get more explosive down the road,” he said.
McKelvey was among the supporters at an afternoon rally at the state Capitol rotunda on Tuesday where Lahaina Strong members implored Gov. Josh Green to delay the phased reopening of West Maui to tourism. The petition that the group delivered to Green had 11,141 signatures, and has since grown to more than 16,900 signatures through an online petition available at bit.ly/3rDFFaB.
The Maui County Council talked about the petition Friday and other pushback before unanimously supporting a resolution to delay West Maui’s tourism reopening. But the reopening, which Green announced Sept. 8, proceeded anyway.
At Kahului Airport, arriving passengers were crowded in the baggage claim area only during the busiest times of the day. Rows of rental cars, caked with dirt, were still parked on the former sugar cane lands around the airport, but not as many as before.
Rick and Jen Brown, who arrived late Sunday morning on an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle, said they booked a five-night stay at the Westin Maui Resort & Spa in Kaanapali on Aug. 7, the day before the disaster, and were uncertain whether to cancel their annual trip to Maui.
“Even now we were reluctant and debated on canceling. It was 50-50,” said Rick Brown, 50.
Then about three weeks ago the Westin called the couple to say, “No, we want you here,” said Jen Brown, 49.
They plan to “lay low” during their Maui stay and mostly relax at their resort.
“We’re respectful. We know this is a hard time here. We’re not going to be lookyloos,” Jen Brown said. “We’ll say a little prayer as we drive by.”
She added that a group of friends in Seattle held a fundraiser for Lahaina fire survivors, donating money to several organizations and families. Packed in the Browns’ luggage are cards of well wishes and thanks from children that she plans to deliver to Lahaina firefighters and the Maria Lanakila Catholic Church congregation.
Newlyweds Andre and Victoria Krasovskiy were on the same flight from Seattle after their honeymoon plans at a different location fell through at the last minute, and relatives on Maui invited them to the island.
The couple, who were married Saturday, are staying in Kihei in South Maui and do not plan to visit Lahaina.
“Beach and staying at home and then more beaches,” said Andre Krasovskiy, 33. “It’s our honeymoon. We don’t want to visit anything that we don’t need to.”
Despite Sunday’s kickoff of the phased reopening of West Maui tourism, many businesses are still closed or operating at reduced hours.
The resort area that stretches from the Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua, to Kahana Villa is the only West Maui resort area officially opened at the start of Maui Mayor Richard Bissen’s phased plan. On Sunday, Kapalua was fairly quiet; not all dining and activities had opened; and while there were beachgoers and golfers, the venues weren’t full.
Jerry Gibson, president of the Hawai‘i Hotel Alliance, said that the “Kapalua area has team members staying there but was only expecting about 20 guest reservations to come in Sunday.”
“Everybody’s ready to go forward, it’s just that there aren’t that many guests,” Gibson said.
A date has not yet been set for phase two of the tourism restart, which will follow an assessment of phase one and cover the resort areas from Mahinahina to Maui Kaanapali Villas. The last reopening phase is for the area from the Royal Lahaina Resort to the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, where a majority of displaced residents are sheltering
Keith Vieira, principal of KV & Associates, Hospitality Consulting, said hoteliers do not expect to see significant numbers for reopening in the other regions, either.
“This is about saving bookings for next year,” Vieira said. “We understand that everybody has their own feelings about reopening. It’s a sensitive topic, but being closed has hurt the economy, and people who want to return to work should have that right.”
Limited stores were open Sunday at Whalers Village, a popular oceanfront retail center in Kaanapali.
Leilani’s on the Beach, which is part of TS Restaurants and is in Whalers Village, had about a third of its tables full during peak lunch hours.
Among the lunch crowd were Glen and Marilyn Sulliban, who used to live in Hawaii but now live in Sacramento, Calif. Glen Sulliban, who is from Lahaina, said the couple returns to his former home every year. Marilyn Sulliban said before coming this year they were monitoring a lot of social media chatter, some of which advised against traveling to Maui.
“Friends and families also transplanted off the island were saying, ‘When you go back, tell us what you hear, see, feel.’”
The couple said they are glad that they made the trip, which has been about “living aloha.”
The Sullibans, who are repeat customers at Leilani’s on the Beach, were warmly greeted by Jack Starr, the restaurant’s assistant general manager.
Starr said Maui’s tourism-dependent economy needs visitors to return so that businesses and workers can financially survive. He said was heartened to see reservations begin to pick up over the past few days, and reopening off to a smooth start.
“I think the message got out pretty clearly if you were coming out here as a visitor to be kind and have understanding — that you may be talking to someone who lost a family member or home,” Starr said. “From my interactions in the last 48 hours, I’ve ran into more visitors than I have prior, and they are fantastic. They are very kind, very thoughtful. The tips are very generous. I haven’t had any bad vibes at all.”
Starr said more than 300 of the more than 700 TS Restaurants Maui workforce, including himself, lost homes or were displaced. He added that about 135 workers were displaced from their jobs after TS Restaurants’ flagship location Kimo’s burned down.
Dylan Ching, vice president of operations for TS Restaurants Hawaii, said that after Kimo’s closed, the company supported employees for a time by paying average wages and keeping them on medical. He said TS Restaurants also has raised money for three rounds of grants for displaced workers.
Ching said about 75% of workers from Kimo’s are now back at work at other TS Restaurants locations on Maui or elsewhere.
Starr said returning to work was “cathartic” for him and that a majority of TS Restaurants employees have said that they want to return to work — though, he said, TS Restaurants recognizes that some employees might need more time.
“We aren’t accepting new applications. We want to give people time to grieve,” he said. “But the vast majority of employees have come back because they are ready. “
