Mayor of Hawaiian island asks airlines to pause flights amid fears of overtourism

Maui appeals to tourists to stay awayAs it struggles to cope with an increase in domestic tourists, Maui, Hawaii asks airlines to not fly more tourists to its picturesque destination.Many Americans are returning to Hawaii after months of Covid restrictions.Michael Victorino (the mayor of the islands) claims Maui is suffering due to overtourism and has asked tourists to stay away.Mayor Michael Victorino stated that while we don't have the power to stop the traffic, we are asking for help from the authorities.All of this is driven by airlift. People won't come without airlift.Nearly 630,000 tourists visited Hawaii in May, mostly from the USA. Comparatively, May 2020 saw approximately 9,000 tourists arrive in Hawaii.Hawaii, which had some of the most severe Covid-19 restrictions in the nation, is the only US state not fully reopened.These comments are made before Hawaii opens to US tourists who have been vaccinated.The mandatory 10-day quarantine is not required for fully vaccinated travelers starting on 8 July.