How Hawaiian wildfires might affect travelers from Western Pa.

Massive wildfires in the Hawaiian Islands have brought devastation and will continue to hurt the Aloha State, as the fires are sure to damage Hawaii’s tourism economy, its biggest source of revenue, said Pittsburgh-area travel agents.

Officials confirmed Friday that at least 80 people have been killed in massive fires that destroyed the historic town of Lahaina. Fires also have hit the island of Hawaii, aka the Big Island. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green warned the death toll will likely rise as search and rescue operations continue.

The blaze is already the state’s deadliest natural disaster since a 1960 tsunami, which killed 61 people on the Big Island.

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency announced Friday that two members of Pennsylvania Task Force 1 will deploy to Maui to assist with rescue missions, according to a news release.

Hawaii is run by tourism, said Joe Weigler, owner of Shadyside Travel in Wilkinsburg. He said Maui has been the hardest hit and it is generally the most popular island for visitors.

He hopes things will clear soon and things can get back to normal, but fears the aftermath of the fires will hurt the state and tourism industry as much as the flames already have.

“It is really tragic,” Weigler said. “I don’t know what they can do about it, really. The mindset of people is negative now, and it is going to be hard to convince them otherwise even when the island is ready.”

Impacted islands

Maui is the most impacted island. Wildfires have shut down roads, including the main road in and out of Lahaina, which connects to many of the island’s resorts, Weigler said.

According to CNN, several resorts are closed to arrivals or temporarily shut down completely because of the fires. The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka’anapali; Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa; and The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua are closed because of ongoing power outages. The Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa is not accepting guests through Aug. 17, and the Kaanapali Alii resort is not accepting guests through Sept. 9.

Airbnb rentals currently are under the extenuating circumstances policy for Maui and other parts of Hawaii, which allows guests and hosts to cancel without penalty.

Fires also hit the Big Island, but they were smaller and limited to the Kohala Coast. The Islands of Oahu, home to Honolulu, Kauai and Lanai, have no active fires.

Travel plans

Weigler said he already has had to move a client from Maui over to Honolulu in response to the fires. For Pittsburghers flying to Hawaii, Weigler said, they often visit multiple islands so their trip won’t likely be completely altered.

Lindley Diecks, vice president of Greater Pittsburgh Travel in Robinson, said she had to reschedule a couple from their Maui trip and set them up in Honolulu instead.

She said the Hawaiian Tourism Authority is strongly discouraging any nonessential travel to Maui and the Big Island in response to the fires.

“Anyone traveling in the coming weeks will need to shift gears,” Diecks said.

She said that rooms on nonaffected islands are booking up fast as travelers look to alter their plans. She said in the middle of one booking, the price for a hotel increased $400 as demand increases.

Weigler is cautioning people who have travel plans to Hawaii in the near future to expect things to get rescheduled, particularly if traveling to Maui or the Big Island. He said travel agents still are waiting to hear from airlines and hotels about cancellations and refunds.

He said it will take some time for the tourism industry to open back up there, and said it could be until next year until things settle down completely. Weigler advised Pittsburghers traveling to Hawaii in the next few months to purchase travel insurance, as a way to ensure full refunds can be received, instead of just flight or travel credit that airlines or hotels might offer.

“We are talking months down the road, trips that will be canceled,” he said.

Economic impact

Hawaii is a long trip from Pittsburgh but that hasn’t deterred Pittsburgh travelers before the fires, Diecks said.

“We have been seeing an uptick in travel to Hawaii,” she said. “Now that people are ready to travel again, Hawaii is a bucket list type of destination.”

Weigler the fallout from the fires will have a major affect on Hawaii’s economy.

“It is a catastrophe,” he said.