The wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui, are causing some Black travelers to rethink their travel plans. However, travel advisors and local officials are warning folks not to cancel their vacation plans.
The fires started this week on the island, forcing tons of residents and tourists to evacuate without warning. Travel advisor and owner of AGJ Getaways Miki Jones said she doesn’t think the catastrophic fires will severely impact Black travelers.
Maui On Fire
According to CNN, Hawaiian state officials are doing their best to evacuate tourists to other islands. However, aside from certain areas on Maui, the rest of Hawaii is still safe for tourists. Jones hasn’t received any cancellations for trips. With the fire not impacting major tourist destinations, she doesn’t expect wildfires to prohibit upcoming travel.
“The area of Maui does have a few resorts, but most of the resorts have not been touched,” Jones said. “In my opinion, travelers are not going to be impacted.”
Despite still being able to visit parts of Hawaii not impacted by wildfires, Jones encourages Black travelers to donate to fighting the natural disaster.
“Their home is what we use as vacation, so the least we can do is give back a little bit instead of just enjoying it when they’re experiencing a loss,” she said.
As residents and tourists clammer to find safety, people are sending help to Hawaii. However, given the nature of natural disasters, travel advisors are telling people not to cancel their trips just yet.
“Natural disasters are, by nature, quick-moving,” said Scott Keyes, founder of travel site Going.com, to CNN. “If you have a trip to Maui a few weeks from now, your best bet for now is to wait and see if the fires get contained.”
