2023 Maui Classic

[dasher]

I have been waiting on when to go to Vegas for a decision to be made. Obviously I will go to Vegas the week the tournament is there if there are going to move it.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Makes sense. They do not want to loose tax revenue for the state.

Or lose it.

 

[two3zone]

Makes sense. They do not want to loose tax revenue for the state.

Doing the right and sensitive thing > tax revenue


Nothing more disgusting than when tourists would come to town after a hurricane when I lived in Florida, sorry, seeing my friends, employees and their families in shambles while douche bags are hanging around loving life was just in poor taste.

They’ll get plenty of money from the federal government and insurance, a bunch of rich people running around laughing and having a great time while the state is in disarray while cleaning up and probably finding bodies daily is just disgusting.

 

[sufandu]

Doing the right and sensitive thing > tax revenue


Nothing more disgusting than when tourists would come to town after a hurricane when I lived in Florida, sorry, seeing my friends, employees and their families in shambles while douche bags are hanging around loving life was just in poor taste.

They’ll get plenty of money from the federal government and insurance, a bunch of rich people running around laughing and having a great time while the state is in disarray while cleaning up and probably finding bodies daily is just disgusting.

But if they can move it to another area of Hawaii, wouldn't getting the income be the right and sensitive thing? As a resident of Maui on here said previously, half of the island is still open for business and needing tourism income.

 

[Consigliere]

But if they can move it to another area of Hawaii, wouldn't getting the income be the right and sensitive thing? As a resident of Maui on here said previously, half of the island is still open for business and needing tourism income.

Looks like the potential alternate venues on Maui are even smaller than the Civic Center. Not to mention the crush on accomodations and restaurants with displaced natives, demolition and construction workers.. I have flights, accomodations and tickets all set and have been looking forward to it for years, but think the best thing would to be to move to Oahu this year and let Maui heal and rebuild.

 

[sufandu]

Looks like the potential alternate venues on Maui are even smaller than the Civic Center. Not to mention the crush on accomodations and restaurants with displaced natives, demolition and construction workers.. I have flights, accomodations and tickets all set and have been looking forward to it for years, but think the best thing would to be to move to Oahu this year and let Maui heal and rebuild.

I was thinking they may try to move it to Honolulu. But as the other poster said outside of the details of the tournament, they want people to come to the side of the island that has been unaffected. They need it for their economy. Shutting doen the entire island would be like Tampa having a bunch of damage from the current hurricane and people avoiding Disney World.

 

[cuseincincy]

Looks like the potential alternate venues on Maui are even smaller than the Civic Center. Not to mention the crush on accomodations and restaurants with displaced natives, demolition and construction workers.. I have flights, accomodations and tickets all set and have been looking forward to it for years, but think the best thing would to be to move to Oahu this year and let Maui heal and rebuild

I thought I read somewhere that hotels are 3/4 empty and restaurants are closing because only 800 tourists are coming in every day instead of the normal 8,000 per day and airport runways are full of rental cars not being rented. I get that the damage on that side is horrible but the majority of the people don;t live or work there and they still need to be able to live. I get islands are different but Cincinnati doesn't shut down when something bad happens in Dayton.

 

[sufandu]

I thought I read somewhere that hotels are 3/4 empty and restaurants are closing because only 800 tourists are coming in every day instead of the normal 8,000 per day and airport runways are full of rental cars not being rented. I get that the damage on that side is horrible but the majority of the people don;t live or work there and they still need to be able to live. I get islands are different but Cincinnati doesn't shut down when something bad happens in Dayton.

Yeah, there has to be common sense decisions made, not decisions based on optics.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

I was thinking they may try to move it to Honolulu. But as the other poster said outside of the details of the tournament, they want people to come to the side of the island that has been unaffected. They need it for their economy. Shutting doen the entire island would be like Tampa having a bunch of damage from the current hurricane and people avoiding Disney World.

I thought I read somewhere that hotels are 3/4 empty and restaurants are closing because only 800 tourists are coming in every day instead of the normal 8,000 per day and airport runways are full of rental cars not being rented. I get that the damage on that side is horrible but the majority of the people don;t live or work there and they still need to be able to live. I get islands are different but Cincinnati doesn't shut down when something bad happens in Dayton.

It all depends on how they try to rebuild. A quick rebuild requires an army of tradespeople coming to the island. Plumbers from other islands can’t just drive over and back everyday like Tampa and Dayton.

The combination of those folks, and the displaced residents may be enough to offset the tourist losses in the unaffected (not burnt) areas of the island.

 

[Orangezoo]

I thought I read somewhere that hotels are 3/4 empty and restaurants are closing because only 800 tourists are coming in every day instead of the normal 8,000 per day and airport runways are full of rental cars not being rented. I get that the damage on that side is horrible but the majority of the people don;t live or work there and they still need to be able to live. I get islands are different but Cincinnati doesn't shut down when something bad happens in Dayton.

As I understand it a large part of the working infrastructure is temporary and many stores/restaurants don't have power unless they still have a working generator and can't open. I've been chatting with a former colleague who has been trying to go on the weekends to help as he lives on Oahu.

They have been dealing with disaster tourists and people both on the island or off trying to boost their youtube channels getting as much film as they can. Between that and the scam artists it's been tough sledding let alone the actual issue of rebuilding and sorting out people who want to try and camp on their properties to rebuild vs relocate to a shelter.

 

[sufandu]

As I understand it a large part of the working infrastructure is temporary and many stores/restaurants don't have power unless they still have a working generator and can't open. I've been chatting with a former colleague who has been trying to go on the weekends to help as he lives on Oahu.

They have been dealing with disaster tourists and people both on the island or off trying to boost their youtube channels getting as much film as they can. Between that and the scam artists it's been tough sledding let alone the actual issue of rebuilding and sorting out people who want to try and camp on their properties to rebuild vs relocate to a shelter.

So the poster on here that lives on the island and relayed what he and other business owners are experiencing is wrong?

 

[sufandu]

It all depends on how they try to rebuild. A quick rebuild requires an army of tradespeople coming to the island. Plumbers from other islands can’t just drive over and back everyday like Tampa and Dayton.

The combination of those folks, and the displaced residents may be enough to offset the tourist losses in the unaffected (not burnt) areas of the island.

But if business owners are saying "please come we need you," that indicates that stuff isn't happening yet. When it does, those businesses can say stay away, we don't have room.

 

[Orangezoo]

So the poster on here that lives on the island and relayed what he and other business owners are experiencing is wrong?

I don't believe so. It sounds like it's a mixed bag. Pretty normal for such a massive disaster. I'm sure thus there are mixed feelings/opinions to go with.

I'm only sharing what was passed along to me and then pairing that with my own experiences with different disasters and the aftermath.

Also let me be clear I'm talking about the immediate area around Lahaina. The post from the other person... not sure if they were sharing what someone else said or they live there.. was speaking to other parts of Maui in terms of being open for business.

I would expect give it another month and there will be more consensus as people have had time to mourn and rebuilding plans are more clear. If the locals impacted by the fire badly want tourists back as much as possible then they should make it happen and assume they will even if it's slow going.

 

[cuseincincy]

Also let me be clear I'm talking about the immediate area around Lahaina. The post from the other person... not sure if they were sharing what someone else said or they live there.. was speaking to other parts of Maui in terms of being open for business.

An incredibly important distinction. The Lahaina area will likely be shut off to non essentials for several months. The re-build necessary there is unlike any I have seen. They essentially have an entire town and almost culture to re-create. And it will never be the same, it can't be. That doesn't mean can't be better and done so that those that did live there can do so again. It will be very difficult.

But the rest of Maui needs to be open for the island as a whole to continue to exist. The people in Lahaina need the rest of Maui to continue to exist.

 

[Orangezoo]

An incredibly important distinction. The Lahaina area will likely be shut off to non essentials for several months. The re-build necessary there is unlike any I have seen. They essentially have an entire town and almost culture to re-create. And it will never be the same, it can't be. That doesn't mean can't be better and done so that those that did live there can do so again. It will be very difficult.

But the rest of Maui needs to be open for the island as a whole to continue to exist. The people in Lahaina need the rest of Maui to continue to exist.

The only thing I will add, and this gets into what others have been saying too some, is that it's important the dust settles for those who lost loved ones and had to relocate to other parts of Maui first. That I believe is one of those ongoing issues that is probably why folks are hearing different things and from folks eager to keep business moving on Maui. The most important voices are less likely to be sharing their thoughts yet as they all still try and sort out what to do next. Tourism has to come second to those displaced and grieving having their needs cared for including housing. That is standard when it comes to disasters as is making sure ports and HQs for FEMA and other agencies are not impacted by tourism. Airports as well.

It may be very new to business owners on the island as well in terms of how logistics work for getting aid where it needs to be and how much goes into recovery. It can be frustrating too as it can indeed cause issues for those on other parts of the island feeling the impacts. I can't stress this enough that even re opening takes time that frustrates people not directly impacted. It's a horrific situation and a very delicate balance handling all of this in any disaster let alone an island.

It's unfortunate but those who provide aid often never work fast enough to meet everyone's needs in a situation like this and things get contentious after the initial wave of all hands on deck.

 

[ssbriefcase]

So the poster on here that lives on the island and relayed what he and other business owners are experiencing is wrong?

Was it from a poster that lives on the island or someone posted something from someone on the island? As I said before, there will be many opinions on this by locals, but my Hawaiian family throughout the islands are on the side of, NO tourists on Maui for now. They've posted as much on social media and gave in depth and thoughtful reasons. There's hundreds still missing! The giant groundswell of funds being raised needs to find the people and businesses, as well as gov't assistance.

 

[sufandu]

I don't believe so. It sounds like it's a mixed bag. Pretty normal for such a massive disaster. I'm sure thus there are mixed feelings/opinions to go with.

I'm only sharing what was passed along to me and then pairing that with my own experiences with different disasters and the aftermath.

Also let me be clear I'm talking about the immediate area around Lahaina. The post from the other person... not sure if they were sharing what someone else said or they live there.. was speaking to other parts of Maui in terms of being open for business.

I would expect give it another month and there will be more consensus as people have had time to mourn and rebuilding plans are more clear. If the locals impacted by the fire badly want tourists back as much as possible then they should make it happen and assume they will even if it's slow going.

The person I'm referencing specifically said they live on Maui, and he along with other business owners were getting hurt by the push for tourists to stay away. It completely makes sense to keep people away from any area affected by the wildfires. I would think there has to be care taken to avoid hurting those that weren't affected. This doesn't seem like a situation where there has to be a conflict of interest. If there are empty hotel rooms and restaurants away from Lahaina, people could certainly go, stay on the other side of the island, and inject some money into the economy without sticking there nose where is doesn't belong.

Edit: I was inaccurate when I said the poster was getting hurt. I found the post. #445.

 

[sufandu]

Was it from a poster that lives on the island or someone posted something from someone on the island? As I said before, there will be many opinions on this by locals, but my Hawaiian family throughout the islands are on the side of, NO tourists on Maui for now. They've posted as much on social media and gave in depth and thoughtful reasons. There's hundreds still missing! The giant groundswell of funds being raised needs to find the people and businesses, as well as gov't assistance.

Post #445

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Doing the right and sensitive thing > tax revenue


Nothing more disgusting than when tourists would come to town after a hurricane when I lived in Florida, sorry, seeing my friends, employees and their families in shambles while douche bags are hanging around loving life was just in poor taste.

They’ll get plenty of money from the federal government and insurance, a bunch of rich people running around laughing and having a great time while the state is in disarray while cleaning up and probably finding bodies daily is just disgusting.

Sometimes adding some “normalcy” back into life is the best thing for those impacted by disasters.

 

[sufandu]

An incredibly important distinction. The Lahaina area will likely be shut off to non essentials for several months. The re-build necessary there is unlike any I have seen. They essentially have an entire town and almost culture to re-create. And it will never be the same, it can't be. That doesn't mean can't be better and done so that those that did live there can do so again. It will be very difficult.

But the rest of Maui needs to be open for the island as a whole to continue to exist. The people in Lahaina need the rest of Maui to continue to exist.

It seems like some people are getting confused between the difference in Maui and Lahaina. Hana is a 73 mile drive from Lahaina. It wouldn't be surprising if they and other nearby communities wanted some tourists to keep them up and running.

 

[ssbriefcase]

Post #445

I read that as a point of view from a local on the island not the poster

 

[sufandu]

It was a point of view from a local on the island not the poster

Ok. I suppose I read it wrong. Does it change the main point though? There are a number of communities on the island some distance from Lahaina that need tourists to stay afloat. Telling people to stay away from Lahaina while asking them to support other parts of the island don't have to be conflicting.

 

[Orangezoo]

Ok. I suppose I read it wrong. Does it change the main point though? There are a number of communities on the island some distance from Lahaina that need tourists to stay afloat. Telling people to stay away from Lahaina while asking them to support other parts of the island don't have to be conflicting.

If the folks across Maui are indeed asking for tourism spots to stay open in the south, east and north I expect it should pickup again come winter time.

I've been in a few briefings from FEMA on it and I know right now besides immediate emergency aid and completing efforts to search for missing people- many are going through the first steps of filing their insurance claims. That process takes time, especially with limits on adjustors/inspectors on the island. Then from there they have to work through FEMA which honestly isn't always a quick process and they have to work around and in accordance with any insurance claim money that is being received. A big part of that is around funding for temporary housing and how quickly that gets setup. It's a catch 22 if you have a business of course because trailers take a long time to transport and have ready to go and partnering hotels may be located too far away( albeit being a smaller island helps a little in theory )

Additionally if residents work at a hotel/resort that is still running- then they may get temporary housing that way of which plays into applying for assistance as well. I expect that by November most will have at least gotten through parts of that process and the capacity for tourists will be better known. The fact this occurred before Hurricane season got going is better for these folks at least. Depending on progress and logistics working out I still think Oahu ends up a better choice for keeping it in Hawaii especially given its larger capacity and thus more money that could be raised.

 

[ssbriefcase]

Ok. I suppose I read it wrong. Does it change the main point though? There are a number of communities on the island some distance from Lahaina that need tourists to stay afloat. Telling people to stay away from Lahaina while asking them to support other parts of the island don't have to be conflicting.

It's not up to you to say what Maui needs to do. They will make decisions they need to make. The entire island is a community, I know this is lost on people not familiar. So simple a view to have; yeah we're out of range now we're X miles away from hundreds of people that burned to death, lets play tourist!

Look, people are hurting financially, I obviously get that, so that's why you'll hear some want visitors so they can make a living, and on the other hand, a lot don't want any tourists there at this time. Very complicated and it's completely up to the community to decide. Yes it will recover and reopen eventually, however it's not right now from what I know. They need time and breathing room to figure it out and cope

 

[Orangezoo]

One thing I forgot to mention and something that is not as well communicated often as it should be is that small businesses can immediately apply for SBA assistance as well. The SBA, like it did for Covid and most major disasters sets up a separate site for a range of assistance most ideally for small businesses of course. Its not a bad bit of info to pass along. That is a big help in these types of situations where economic loss is unavoidable.