Finding the right balance
Fixing overtourism is sort of like performing our own heart surgery. Without steady hands and clear vision there’s danger we’ll damage or even destroy that which pumps life’s blood to our economy.
Tasked with exploring the issue and coming up with ways to solve it, the Maui County Council’s Tourism Management and Economic Development Temporary Investigative Group released its final report Wednesday. It arrived on the heels of a pair of Hawaii performance reports that show Maui’s hotels and vacation rentals lead the state in bouncing back from the pandemic.
The 418-page report from Council Chair Alice Lee, Vice Chair Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, and Council members Tamara Paltin and Shane Sinenci offers up eight legislative proposals and six recommended actions they feel will help protect Maui’s residents and environment from being overrun. The group weighed input from many sources to come up recommendations that appear both thoughtful and feasible.
Suggestions include: Capping the number of transient accommodations currently operating or allowed by Maui County Code. Hiring a county tourism manager to monitor and mitigate impacts on the island and its people. Create a reservation system for tourism hotspots. Facilitate managed retreat for properties impacted by rising seas. Lessen the impacts of peer-to-peer car rentals in neighborhoods. Eliminate transient vacation rentals in various districts. Amend the Maui Island Plan to include the monitoring of quality of life.
To entrepreneurs operating vacation rentals in one of the “various” neighborhoods, Wednesday’s report probably sent shivers down their spines. Another hit came the next day when Airbnb announced it was dropping 1,300 ineligible Maui short-term rental listings from its site.
Contractors and developers will no doubt pour over the report to see how the recommendations affect their plans and bottom lines. Through the years, the County Council has struggled to find a balance between construction jobs and investment versus concerns about overdevelopment and the environment. This current council has shown a willingness to pump the brakes.
The last three years presented three different realities for Maui County. In 2019, we welcomed 3 million visitors and our infrastructure was stretched to the breaking point. The pandemic brought tourism to its knees in 2020. With only 793,000 visitors, residents got startling views of what it’s like when we have the island to ourselves. Impacts ranged from empty roads and beaches to closed restaurants and failed businesses. The year 2021 saw tourism bounce back with 2.3 million people vacationing on Maui.
Communities around the globe would love to have our problems. We live in a beautiful place inhabited by wonderful people. Travelers love to visit us so much they’re willing to spend vast sums of money to stay and play here.
The key is striking a healthy balance. The Council group’s report appears to offer steps to help make that balance possible.