Progress continues to be made in implementing the Maui Nui Destination Management Action Plan below. HTA is also working with the Maui Visitors and Convention Bureau, County of Maui, and East Maui Advisory Committee on a potential East Maui Tourism Management pilot program. Meantime, to help mitigate traffic congestion along Hāna Highway, HTA is encouraging visitors who are considering driving to Hāna to choose alternate options.
The foundation of the Maui Nui Destination Management Action Plan (DMAP) is based on the following plans: HTA’s Strategic Plan 2020-2025, Moloka‘i Island Community Plan Update 2018, Maui County Tourism Industry Strategic Plan 2017-2026, Lāna‘i Community Plan 2016, and Maui County Office of Economic Development Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy 2016.
It was important that the planning process for the Maui Nui DMAP examine each island individually when developing the actions for tourism recovery and rebuilding. Three steering committees comprised of members from the community, visitor industry, and other sectors from their respective islands came up with action items for the DMAP. It will be an action plan that will be used for the recovery and rebuilding of tourism. HTA and county tourism officials reviewed the committees’ action items to determine if they are executable and within HTA and county’s mandates. The draft DMAP for Maui and Moloka‘i was approved by the HTA Board of Directors in December 2020 and the draft DMAP for Lāna‘i in January 2021. Click here or the cover image below to view the plan.
Maui Nui consists of three very unique islands: Maui, Moloka‘I, and Lāna‘i. Each has different community desires and values, but they all depend on tourism as an economic driver.
The COVID pandemic has significantly impacted the visitor industry in Hawai‘i. As of August 2020, Maui is down 70.9% in visitor arrivals and down 49.6% in air seats compared to the same time a year ago. Moloka‘I experienced a 65.3% decrease in visitor arrivals, along with a 74.5% decline in visitor arrivals to Lāna‘i. The County of Maui lost 22,000 jobs in the second quarter of 2020 alone. Of those jobs, Accommodations lost the most with 8,200 jobs, followed by Food Services and Drinking Places which lost 5,900 jobs, and Arts, Entertainment & Recreation which lost 2,000 jobs.
Maui Fast Facts
The second largest Hawaiian island, Maui (“the Valley Isle”) is popular with visitors looking for sophisticated diversions and amenities in the small towns and airy resorts spread throughout the island. From the scenic slopes of country Maui to beaches that have repeatedly been voted among the best in the world, a visit to recharges the senses. The visitor industry generates 80% of the County’s economic activity and provides 75% of all private sector jobs on Maui. More than three million visitors came to Maui in 2019 resulting in 66,363 visitors on any given day compared to the resident population of 155,707 (30% of the de facto population). The overwhelming majority of visitors are from the U.S. along with a small cluster from Canada. In 2019, visitors spent a total of $5.13 billion on Maui.
Lāna‘i Fast Facts
Spanning only 141 square miles and a relatively small in population of approximately 2,830 (21% of the defacto population), Lāna‘i is known for luxurious pampering, gourmet dining and unconventional outdoor activities. The residents cherish their community’s sense of ‘ohana, their natural resources and their rural lifestyle, and honor their heritage by preserving archaeological and cultural sites. Forty-eight percent of jobs on Lāna‘i are from the accommodation and food services. In 2019, visitors spent a total of $129 million on Lāna‘i with 84,100 visitors. This equated to 738 visitors on any given day.
Moloka‘i Fast Facts
Moloka‘i is home to the highest sea cliffs in the world along its northeast coast and Hawai‘i’s longest continuous fringing reef (28 miles) off Moloka‘i’s southern coast. With a high percentage of its population being of Native Hawaiian ancestry, Moloka‘i is a place where Hawaiian culture thrives. With a population of around 6,820 (10% of the defacto population), the people of Moloka‘i continue to preserve their rural lifestyle and show a great respect and love of the land. In 2019, visitors spent a total of $36 million on Moloka‘i with 63,035 visitors. This equated to 783 visitors on any given day.
Members of the community, visitor industry, and other sectors to help identify actions.
The foundational documents and process in the creation of the Destination Management Action Plan.
A status of the implementation of the Destination Management Action Plan.