I recently moved to Las Vegas from Maui. As I establish new local relationships, I often hear the kindhearted words, “Welcome to Las Vegas.” Imagine my shock when I told my hairstylist that I had just moved from Maui, and she said, “Doesn’t Hawaii hate tourists?” I was stunned that Hawaii’s mixed messaging and declining aloha spirit had reached a mainland barber chair.

Hawaii’s economic engine is tourism. Declining tourism brings island struggles and business failures, followed by an exodus of island families. Hawaii’s leadership voices better take notice because, as Tom Hanks said in “Apollo 13,” “Houston, we have a problem.”

Like the challenges the Apollo 13 crew faced, the survival challenges faced by Hawaii will require leadership and vision with outside-the-box thinking. Island friends, please choose your leaders and voices wisely. It does make a difference for the best outcomes.

Phil Winter

Las Vegas, Nev.

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