Maui ponders its future as leaders consider restricting vacation rentals loved by tourists

By AUDREY McAVOY
Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — The mayor of Maui County in Hawaii wants to stop owners of thousands of vacation properties from renting to visitors. Instead, he wants the units rented long-term to people who live on Maui to address a chronic housing shortage that intensified after last August’s deadly wildfire. The mayor’s proposal faces multiple legislative and bureaucratic hurdles, starting with a planning commission meeting Tuesday. The outcome will shape whether Maui continues to cater to tourists or whether it will curb tourism to address complaints that visitors are overwhelming the island. The units in question account for about half of Maui’s legally operated short-term rentals.