The wildfire that destroyed Lahaina in August 2023 is continuing to have a ripple effect with tourism decreases on several Hawaiian islands including Maui.

Maui has experienced a 10.1% decrease in visitor numbers for the first 10 months of this year, state Chief Economic Eugene Tian said.

Statistics show 1.9 million visitors to Maui in the first 10 months of this year as compared to 2.1 million visitors for the same period in 2023.

About 32.5% of Maui’s visitors also stay on a different island, and a decision not to visit Maui has had a ripple effect elsewhere, economists say.

In Maui County, Molokai had a decrease of 4.1% and Lanai was down 14.7%.

Tian also said Kauai has seen a decrease of 4% and Hawai’i island is down 3.2%.

Tian said the only island that hasn’t seen a decrease in visitor numbers was Oahu, with an increase of 3.5% because of a strong flow of Japanese visitors.

Tian said that based on insurance claims, losses from the Lahaina wildfire totaled $3.35 billion.

According to the state, Lahaina once generated about $2.7 million in daily revenue.

Business observers say that while the destruction to Lahaina represented a fraction of visitor accommodations on Maui, the publicity has had a negative impact on bookings islandwide.

Naomi Cooper, deputy director of the Maui Hotel & Lodging Association, said occupancy has been down at some hotels and Maui hasn’t been able to attract as much group business bookings a year in advance.

She said bookings made three weeks in advance don’t provide hotels enough time to plan as much.