Above: Molokini Crater pictured from Makena Cove, a popular snorkelling destination off the Maui coast (Noah Schmidt/Flickr)

Ah, Hawaii. America’s tropical paradise, an ancient island chain briming with palm trees, white sand beaches, and tourists from across the globe. But something was missing during my last visit to the islands, something familiar: Canadians. 

Maui was a desolate wasteland during my trip in August. Well, not in the typical sense of the phrase. The beaches were still lovely, the palm trees still plentiful. But in terms of people, I’ve never seen a quieter tourist hub. I mean, August typically isn’t a particularly busy month, it’s the winter when most decide to flee the snow for sun, but I was curious as to why it seemed I was the only non-Hawaiian on the island. 

I asked around, curious as to why Maui was a veritable ghost town. I found my answer in a scuba shop in Kihei, where the employees explained what had happened. Covid hit the islands extremely hard, and when your major source of income is tourism, a global pandemic kind of throws a wrench in the works. Things didn’t get any better after the world went back to normal, as in 2023, one of the island’s most significant cities, Lahaina, was completely destroyed by massive wildfires. The shop owners explained how this made people sensitive about visiting, not wanting to use an island that recently suffered a massive loss of life as a place to relax. Finally, in 2025, a certain American President starting being a bit… “aggressive” to other nations, which further dissuaded foreign travellers from visiting. Among those hesitant to travel to Hawaii were the state’s biggest population of international visitors: Us. 

Above: Waikiki Beach, O’ahu, Hawaii’s most well-known beach (Noah Schmidt/Flickr)

I wasn’t all that shocked. Many Canadians have voiced open disapproval to American tariff policies during the past year, which has created a noticeable lack of interest of travelling to the U.S. The unfortunate result of this newfound animosity is the effect it has on the hard-working American people, like those of Hawaii. They’ve been rocked by tragedy after tragedy, and now, there’s no one to help them recover. The Canadian flag still flies high in many places throughout the islands, but the beaches are empty. It’s a difficult choice for Canadians to make, but domestic travel is far more palatable now then travelling stateside, and until things change, going to Hawaii will remain a distant dream for most Canadians. 

Written by Noah Schmidt

Contact: nschmidt20@my.bcit.ca