Hawaiian Airlines’ Post

From packing for a purpose to giving back to the community, Travel Better when you travel with Muy’Ono Resorts. Learn more about this Belize resort group’s philanthropic efforts in our latest blog 🔗 📷Muy’Ono Resorts (@muyonoresorts) #bestbelize #belizetravel #belize #belizeadventures #belizelife #belizephotos #belize2024

https://lnkd.in/dqHPNYMR !!!PLEASE SHARE!!! Governor Green Urges Visitors to Forego Travel Plans to West Maui All non-essential travel to West Maui (including Lāhainā, Nāpili, Kāʻanapali, and Kapalua) is strongly discouraged through the month of August, Governor Josh Green said in his latest emergency proclamation: https://lnkd.in/dVDPixP2 Visitors largely heeded the call to leave Maui in the early days of this unprecedented disaster. In the weeks ahead, the collective resources and attention of the federal, state and county government, the West Maui community, and the travel industry must be focused on the recovery of residents who lost loved ones, homes, their belongings, and businesses.  Hotels in West Maui have temporarily stopped accepting bookings of future reservations. While efforts are underway to fully restore electrical power, municipal water and communications, visitors are encouraged to refrain from attempting to reach West Maui accommodations for reservation adjustments until the situation stabilizes. Visitors with travel plans to other parts of Maui (including Kahului, Wailuku, Kīhei, Wailea, and Mākena) should reach out to their accommodations to ensure they can still be hosted. Travel to the other Hawaiian Islands, like Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Lānaʻi, and Hawaiʻi Island, is not affected at this time. How to Help Anyone wanting to make donations to help communities and families recover on Maui can do so through the Maui Strong Fund established by the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation. The link can be accessed here: https://lnkd.in/dj6TWkeY Due to capacity limitations in the system, please consider making financial rather than physical donations. The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority will continue to provide updates and answers to frequently asked questions on our website: https://lnkd.in/dqHPNYMR

Finding the balance of funding the recovery and ongoing employment for an industry that provides 80% of the island’s income and showing a sensitivity to the loss incurred by the local Ohanas is a sensitive balance. Housing shortages are very real. However, who is going to pay the hotels and short term rental property owners for the use of their properties? Benevolence is a noble gesture. However, most of the property owners are leveraged and cannot afford to provide uncompensated lodging. Furthermore, the lodging taxes levied on the owners is what funds the government…A possible solution is for the Hawaiian authorities to designate zip codes of affected areas and post them online or use the “Aloha safe alert” app they used during COVID and have the Airlines pass out the Hawaii forms prior to boarding the airplanes and turn away tourists who’s lodging (a required entry on the form) is determined to be in those affected areas. The recent experience of the financial devastation from COVID should give the local authorities plenty of tried and true solutions that were implemented during the pandemic and provide the compromise necessary to minimize the impact to all concerned.

Travel clubs are the worst rip-offs in the industry. Their high annual membership fees and high-pressure sales tactics make timeshares look like charitable organizations. You can find out how to avoid a travel club in this free guide. #travel #travelclub #adventure #vacation #traveling #airlines

Travel clubs are the worst rip-offs in the industry. Their high annual membership fees and high-pressure sales tactics make timeshares look like charitable organizations. You can find out how to avoid a travel club in this free guide. #travel #travelclub #adventure #vacation #traveling #airlines

National Lost Penny Day seeks to change our poor attitudes toward the copper coin and find a good use for it. Dig into your couch cushions, car seats, purse bottoms, and every other nook and cranny to gather as many as possible. Then put those pennies to work by donating them to those in need. Catch up with the latest GTO News update!

What is the right way to help the people of Maui right now?

Yesterday Johnny Jet put up an excellent post https://bit.ly/3PjRig4 suggesting that tourists should consider returning to Maui. He links to several news stories all mentioning how businesses on the island are now facing layoffs or even going out of business due to the drastic decrease in tourism to the island. The Hawaii Tourism Authority is asking tourists to visit the island but stay clear of the areas devasted by the fire. Right after the fires occurred, we advised people to pause their travel plans to the island. Johnny and the HTA may be right, but this is a complicated issue. As some mentioned on Johnny's Facebook thread https://bit.ly/3PkGxd6 ; what is good for tourism related businesses is not always good for locals. On the other hand a majority of people in Hawaii's jobs depend on tourism dollars either directly or indirectly. Can all of those dollars be replaced by charitable donations? Is that even the right thing to do? As T. Ilihia Gionson mentioned in his interview with the LA CBS station "if you just lost your house, the last thing you need is to then lose your job". One thing is certain the people of Maui could use our help right now. The hard question is what is the best way to do that? What do you think?

Kony 2012 was a valuable lesson on the dangerous effects of charitable and voluntourism on Uganda, and more generally in Africa, displaying the ugliness of white savior tourism and how many charities and volunteers forget to listen. This begs the question: is tourism beneficial? The answer is yes, if travelers are able to work on truly making a difference by learning and understanding the destination they are visiting and to, above all, be respectful. Revisit the Kony 2012 campaign with us and understand how steps we can take to communicate and travel more responsibly in 2024. #kony2012 #voluntourism #sustainabletravel