Tension between Maui residents and tourists grows after fires

The Maui Economic Development Board says tourism is “irrefutably” the economic engine of Maui, which saw 1.4 million visitors in just the first half of 2023.

By Associated Press

Aug. 19, 2023

Hawaii Photos Maui Maui Wildfires

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

A group of Lahaina, residents who survived the deadly wildfire that devastated their community gather near a checkpoint in hopes to get access to their homes in Lahaina, Wednesday, Aug. 16. Long before a wildfire blasted through the island of Maui the week before, there was tension between Hawaii's longtime residents and the visitors some islanders resent for turning their beaches, mountains and communities into playgrounds. But that tension is building in the aftermath of the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.

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