Maui Needs Visitors. Here’s How to Visit the Tropical Destination Mindfully.

It’s been twenty months since fires ravaged Lahaina and caused immeasurable loss of life and property. Today, tourism is still down some 20%, and the economy is struggling. We recently traveled to Maui to talk to locals, visit businesses, and learn from them about how to mindfully experience the island in a way that benefits locals. Visiting Hawaii with respect and spending your tourism dollars there can help fuel the economic recovery, but it’s essential to embrace the spirit of mālama—to care for and respect the land, culture, and people.

Thomas J. Story

Start by supporting local businesses: Dine at family-owned eateries, shop at craft fairs, and book eco-friendly tours guided by locals who share authentic knowledge of their homes. When exploring Hawaii’s natural wonders, stay on marked trails to protect fragile ecosystems, and never remove rocks, sand, or coral as souvenirs—it’s not only frowned upon but often considered deeply disrespectful. Practice ocean mindfulness, too: Reef-safe sunscreen is a must, and avoid stepping on coral reefs to preserve marine life. If you’re lucky enough to join a cultural experience, such as a hula performance or lei-making workshop, approach it with gratitude and curiosity, listening more than speaking. Most importantly, give back. The state’s tourism initiative Mālama Hawai‘i offers opportunities to volunteer—whether it’s planting native trees, participating in beach cleanups, or restoring ancient fish ponds, your efforts can help sustain this island paradise (visit the website for more details). Finally, embody aloha wherever you go. Smile at strangers, show patience, and leave places better than you found them. Here are just a few stories about businesses that are welcoming visitors back.

Notes from a Cultural Ambassador

Thomas J. Story

“Aunty Wendy” Tuivaioge, a native Hawaiian and the director of Hawaiian programs at the Four Seasons Resort Maui, is a trained hula dancer and chanter who spearheads the resort’s weekly cultural activities. Having danced with Hālau O Ka Hanu Lehua since 2012, she teaches true hula. (No coconut bras or grass skirts here!) Aunty Wendy helms the resort’s “Behind the Scenes of Hula” program, inviting guests to the practices of one of the state’s top competitive hula groups, Hālau o Ka Hanu Lehua. Here are her tips for visiting Maui with care:

Just Go

You can do all the research you want in advance of visiting a destination, but no research will do it justice. You’ll only know what a culture is when you’re there. You have to come and experience it and mingle with the locals.

Thomas J. Story

Shop Local 

Go to the farmers’ market. Talk to and buy from local vendors. During the pandemic, farmers’ markets were hosted to support the local vendors and to allow visitors to the resort to meet and support them in turn.

Talk Story

Make lei. It’s as much about the conversation that happens when you’re making lei. The only way you’ll learn the traditions and stories is by talking. 

Thomas J. Story

Practice Aloha 

Don’t put up your guard. Smile at locals. If they smile back, that’s your opening. Just say “Aloha.” It’s as simple as that.

Centering Culture

Thomas J. Story

When it came time to redesign the mezzanine that greets guests at Maui’s Fairmont Kea Lani, the property decided to do something atypical in the slim-margin world of hospitality: Instead of turning it into a revenue-producing bar, it dedicated half the space to a beautiful cultural center rich in Hawaiian artifacts, traditional clothing, and a library full of history books, and ramped up daylong programming so guests and locals can linger and learn about the foodways, music, and traditions practiced throughout the Islands.

Thomas J. Story

The open-air Hale Kukuna is cooled by ocean breezes, is outfitted with ukeleles, contains textiles and headdresses, and is staffed by local educators (such as Ke’ala Pasco, pictured above) who run lei-making, music, and Hawaiian language lessons. It’s open to the public, so anyone can visit and learn.