Let’s reinvent tourism to learn each Maui residents and guests | Information, Sports activities, Jobs

Last week a group of Maui residents gathered peacefully on Wailea Beach to remind tourism guides that Aloha goes both ways. “Take back the beach” The participants spoke out against the illegal practice of “Default” Chairs and umbrellas effectively pushing the locals away from the best beaches. Nobody has the right to restrict the public enjoyment of our beaches, because in Hawaii every beach belongs to everyone.

The week before, Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, vice chairman of Maui County Council, tabled a bill that would allow Maui County to reserve a percentage of parking in beach parks for residents and make visitors pay to park. It is a reasonable proposal and I support this initiative.

A few months ago, Senator Kalani English and Rep. Lynn DeCoite began working on a plan to better manage traffic in Hana. During the pandemic break from tourism, we remembered what a trip to Hana was like back then. And we liked it.

The pandemic forced us to slow down and pay attention to our daily lives. We had the opportunity to relive a time before industrial tourism came to Maui. Our residents came to the conclusion that more and more tourists are not welcome here.

The recent one “Spring Break, Spring holidays, Spring Break” The increase in visitors confirmed it. With COVID-19 still spreading across the country, the CDC is still advising Americans to postpone unnecessary travel. Yet thousands of tourists, attracted by obscenely cheap airfares, still arrived at Kahului Airport. Concerned about the bad behavior of some of these visitors, concerned citizens contacted my office and asked me to do so “Close the airport” or “Limit the volume of tourists” come into Maui County.

When statehood came to Hawaii in 1959, we were governed by United States law, including the constitutional right of every American to travel freely between states. Unfortunately, neither I nor Governor David Ige have authority to restrict flights to Maui County or the state of Hawaii. Likewise, we cannot influence the price of airfares. If an airline charges US $ 99 for a flight between California and Maui, we must legally clear the plane for landing at Kahului Airport.

The same principle applies to COVID-19 tests. Every American has the right to travel to Hawaii and quarantine for 10 days upon arrival, as per CDC guidelines. Our state may set criteria for exempting travelers from quarantine, including requirements for pre- and / or post-arrival testing. However, travelers can legally refuse to be tested and instead quarantine at their own expense.

Curbing overtourism and changing the nature of our visitor industry cannot be achieved by passing new laws. However, this can be done through collaboration and collaboration between the public and private sectors, understanding that we may share different measures of success.

We are fortunate that our visitor industry has taken the first step with the Maui Nui Destination Management Action Plan. Each municipality has drawn up its own plan and identified those responsible for reforming the future of tourism.

The key word here is “Action.” The industry is committed to taking specific steps to make this plan a reality.

For Maui Nui, this includes educating visitors about safe and respectful travel, establishing and funding programs to protect the environment in Maui, understanding and respecting our residents, and providing cultural education that upholds our shared values. Each island community challenges industry to contribute more to the environment and community than necessary.

Like it or not, the majority of Maui county’s residents depend, directly or indirectly, on the dollars generated from tourism. It supports our families, our farmers and our small businesses. Tourism will always play a dominant role in our county’s economy, even as we work towards greater economic diversification.

But we can always do better. As we recover from the economic wreckage of COVID-19, we have the rare opportunity to reinvent tourism in a way that benefits residents and visitors alike. Let’s go back to the real meaning of hospitality – the guest-host relationship. We encourage the visitor industry to remember that Maui County is first and foremost a community. We ask our community to remember that most visitors want to do the right thing. Let us restore this balance for the benefit of all.

* * “Our County” A column by Maui Mayor Michael Victorino discusses issues and activities of the county government.

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