HONOLULU, Aug. 17, 2023 - In addressing a community concern about ensuring the economic well-being of Maui and the state, Governor Josh Green emphasized the importance of travel during today's news conference.
"Like we saw in the pandemic, decisions we made can affect everyone across the islands. So what we're saying now is travel should not be to West Maui. But the other parts of Maui are safe," said Governor Green. "And the rest of the state, of course, is also safe."
"I'll be making a much broader announcement and have a broader discussion about this on Friday in a statewide address. But we want people to travel to the state to the extent that they're not impacting the hard work that these extraordinary people are doing (supporting disaster recovery)," the Governor said.
In alignment with Governor Green, the Hawai'i Tourism Authority urges visitors to refrain from going to West Maui (including Lāhainā, Nāpili, Kāʻanapali, and Kapalua) as a means of respect to the people and places that have been lost in Lāhainā during this devastating tragedy.
The August 13 emergency proclamation remains in place, with all nonessential travel to West Maui being strongly discouraged through the month of August.
The impacted area of Lāhainā remains off limits to the public as the search and recovery efforts continue.
We encourage travelers to consider visiting other areas of Maui (including Kahului, Wailuku, Kīhei, Wailea, Mākena, Pāʻia and Hāna), or other islands such as Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Lānaʻi, Molokaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island.
For the latest Maui emergency management and recovery information, and how you can kōkua (help) the people of Maui, visit mauistrong.hawaii.gov.
About the Hawai'i Tourism Authority
The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority is the state agency responsible for representing The Hawaiian Islands around the world, and for holistically managing tourism in a sustainable manner consistent with community desires, economic goals, cultural values, preservation of natural resources, and visitor industry needs. HTA works with the community and industry to Mālama Kuʻu Home – care for our beloved home. For more information about HTA, visit www.hawaiitourismauthority.org or follow @HawaiiHTA on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
SOURCE Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau
