2023-09-03 14:02:28
Reportage
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As residents of Lahaina, a city ravaged by the deadliest blaze in a century in the United States, continue to search for the missing, part of the island is calling on visitors to return to support the local economy. Two worlds rub shoulders there: one in mourning, the other on vacation.
Seated on one of the terraces of the Four Seasons hotel in Wailea, Carolin Avery takes notes in a notebook then lets her azure gaze get lost in the postcard decor in front of her. In the foreground, an infinity pool blends into the turquoise waves of the Pacific. On the horizon, the island of Lanai, 98% privatized by billionaire Larry Ellison, who made his fortune in tech. The setting is idyllic, the emblematic five-star hotel: the Four Seasons served as the setting for the series The White Lotus. This luxury setting has a price: at least 1,000 dollars excluding taxes per night and up to 29,000 dollars for certain suites (from 928 to 27,000 euros).
Carolin is starting to get used to it, even if this 68-year-old artist admits not having all the codes: “Tourists recognize us, that’s for sure.” “We” are the evacuees, those survivors of the Lahaina fire who lost everything. On August 8, when this historic city was devoured by flames, she fled her residence for low-income seniors at the last minute: “The manager gave the order to evacuate
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#fire #return #tourists #divides #island #Maui #Liberation
