Maui Rental Owners Offered Free Stays To Support Maui Tourism
By Robert Buan
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HONOLULU (KTBS) — The Tibbotts are Maui residents who also have have a popular vacation rental in Wailea. Since the Lahaina fires they haven’t been able to get many takers – And they aren’t alone.
“My friends have gotten cancellations on their vacation rentals all the way through January and February,” said Marji Tibbott. “Because people were told [they couldn’t come] and the airlines kind of said it.”
The downward trend in the economy has continued since August 8th, so the Tibbotts got creative.
“So I put out on Facebook that we would give free condo and a free car to anybody who would come over and spend money in South and South Maui, because it’s a ghost town here.”
It’s a bold strategy to get tourists back on island — one that will hit their pocketbook but in a way they feel is a comparatively small price to pay.
“For this short term and we’re bringing in people just to fill it up,” added Michael Tibbott. “But Marji reached out to all the people that are renting for like the next 6 to 9 months and said, ‘Look, if you come, please come and if you do and you get here and that you don’t like it, we’ll refund your money.’ So we’re trying to keep people coming with that policy. Because yes, we’re gonna lose money, but we’re gonna hurt so little compared to what everybody else hurt.”
As far as who will benefit the most from their generosity, Marji realizes it will most likely be people they don’t even know.
“Waitresses and waiters, people who own the small stores, we really feel bad and there’s only so much money we can spread around. And so we, so we asked and people are coming, I filled up every single day and it makes us happy.”
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