A coordinated statewide effort to support Maui’s tourism recovery is now underway, with the launch of a $6 million Maui Emergency Marketing Campaign funded by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA). With Maui’s visitor arrivals still 21% below pre-pandemic levels, the initiative addresses critical recovery needs that impact the entire state’s visitor industry ecosystem. By focusing efforts where they are needed most, the campaign will stimulate travel demand as early as this summer and through the end of 2025—supporting local businesses, preserving jobs, and restoring visitor confidence in the state’s most important economic driver. (Some people worry about the cost of Read more
Lahaina
My wife and I recently spent four days on Maui, seeing how things are going in the wake of the devastating Lahaina fires and checking out new (to us) hotels and restaurants. I’m happy to say that things are moving along, although not at the pace some would hope. New homes are being built in Lahaina, and there’s a new restaurant in the north end of town, where a cluster of waterfront buildings and the Lahaina Cannery Mall escaped the deadly fires. The second night of our visit, my wife and I ate dinner at the wonderful Star Noodle, which Read more
Free Wi-Fi For Aeroplan Members Coming to Air Canada; Florida, Hawaii, Carolina Seek Disaster Relief
It’s about to get a lot easier to stay in touch at 35,000 feet. Air Canada says it plans to roll out fast, free streaming-quality Wi-Fi on many of its flights next spring. The service will be available to Aeroplan Members on Wi-Fi equipped aircraft for flights within North American and Sun markets beginning in May, 2025. The airline also plans to expand free Wi-Fi service to long-haul international routes in 2026. “Reliable access to streaming-quality Wi-Fi is becoming essential for both business and leisure travellers. That’s why we’re upgrading our fleet with the latest technologies,” said Mark Nasr, Executive Read more
Maui County recently released a draft of its long-term recovery plan for Lahaina. I find it an encouraging report, but there aren’t a lot of details just yet. “To the naked eye, little progress has been made in the 14 months since the fire, with only a handful of houses breaking ground on reconstruction,” Forbes.com reported recently. “However, most of the debris from the fire has been cleaned up, and crews are almost done restoring utility access to all impacted lots.” Forbes said release of the Lahaina draft plan is “no doubt a welcome sign for the Read more
It’s been a tough year for tourism on Maui, but positive signs are emerging. Virtuoso, a luxury travel agent network that books exclusive vacations around the world, said its sales for Maui resorts are up 4% for the first six months of the year. For the winter holiday or “festive” season, sales are up a whopping 66%. A network spokesperson on Monday, Aug. 12 said that West Maui/Lahaina bookings are about 7% lower than Wailea, which makes sense given the incredible fire damage to Lahaina in August of last year. “Even with the noticeable impacts on tourism to Maui, we Read more
