Maui beckons tourists to stave off economic disaster
Subscriber content preview September 22, 2023 By AUDREY McAVOY and JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER Associated Press KAHULUI, Hawaii — Richie Olsten has b...
Subscriber content preview September 22, 2023 By AUDREY McAVOY and JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER Associated Press KAHULUI, Hawaii — Richie Olsten has been in Maui's helicopter tour business for a half century, so long he's developed a barometer for the tourism-dependent economy: rental cars parked at the island's airport. There are so many since wildfires killed at least 115 people in the historic town of Lahaina that Olsten is worried about a full-blown economic catastrophe. Restaurants and tour companies are laying off workers, and unemployment is surging.