West Maui began reopening Sunday to visitors just two months after a wildfire devastated the town of Lahaina.
The reopening did not come without outrage from some residents, many of whom signed a petition to delay the reopening as families continue to struggle to “find shelter, provide for their children’s education, and cope with emotional trauma,” according to the petition.
Homes have been flattened and are completely inhabitable. Businesses have been decimated. Some loved ones remain unaccounted for and residents have been grieving the loss of 97 people who died in the tragedy.
The petition has received more than 10,000 signatures.
The fact that tourism is resuming so soon around the outskirts of a town made unrecognizable by the wildfires has reignited an ongoing debate about Hawaii’s reliance on tourism.
I don’t know why some balance needs to be struck with a parasitic industry, or why any relationship with the tourism industry should not unambiguously favor the actual inhabitants of the state.
Tourism is not some immutable truth; far fewer people would show up if there’s nowhere for them to stay and nothing for them to do. It scales with the infrastructure that supports it.