Tourists have been urged not to go ahead with leisure trips to Maui in Hawaii, due to the devastating wildfire that swept through the island last week.
On August 11, the Hawaii Tourism Authority issued a press release urging travellers to reschedule any trips to West Maui.
According to the Aloha State, 46 000 visitors have flown out of Kahului Airport after a request by tourism authorities for travellers to evacuate the island, as they planned to dedicate their resources to the recovery of residents who have had to vacate their homes and businesses.
As a result, over 50 hotels and resorts in Kaanapali, Kahana, Napili, Kapalua and Honokowai are no longer accepting bookings, reported eturbonews.com.
Although some parts of West Maui remain untouched, human resources and logistics are scarce and the island is plagued with sporadic communication lines, poor road conditions and inconsistent access to electricity. Additionally, shops, petrol stations, restaurants and other businesses are closed.
Maui relies heavily on tourism to support its revenue. Some tourism businesses in areas such as Kihei, Wailea, Pala, Kuhului and Hana have remained open and are still taking bookings. Islands such as Kaua’I, O’ahu, Lānaʻi, and Hawaiʻi Island, are not affected and will operate normally.
