I watched the ABC special “Lahaina Rising.” I have no doubt about the connection between that show and the dramatic drop in Maui tourism since it aired the end of June. It clearly depicts tourists as unwelcome.

The show inferred that anyone who identifies as a “local,” certainly anyone who is part of Lahaina Strong, is of Hawaiian ancestry. That is simply not true. Recent government statistics indicate only 6 percent of Hawaii residents actually have Native Hawaiian ancestry. Most others who identify as locals are descendants of the Chinese, Japanese, and Filipinos who came to work the plantations. Sure, their families have been on island for generations, but they are not Hawaiian.

The show inferred that Lahaina was once a verdant paradise with flowing streams and taro fields, until the tourist industry took all the water. That is simply not true. Lahaina, like Kihei, is on the leeward side of the island and, as a result, gets very little rainfall, averaging 12 inches of rain per year. The cause of the fire was not tourist development, but unusually dry conditions, global warming. and a downed power line. Lahaina never was, and never will be, green and lush like the windward side.

The show stated that the lack of affordable housing is directly caused by the existence of short-term rentals. That also is simply not true. I moved to Kihei in 1987 and the lack of affordable housing was a crisis then. It has only gotten worse.

George Bement

Kihei