Members of Hawaii’s visitor industry are preparing for the reopening of West Maui tourism on Oct. 8, but many are bracing for a slow festive season given the breadth of the wildfire-related cancellations, and some say full recovery might not occur until at least spring.
The statewide economic impact of wildfires on Hawaii island and Maui where the destruction in Lahaina has become the nation’s deadliest single wildfire in recent history is likely to hit at least $8 billion to $10 billion in the Hawaiian Islands.