Maui Mayor Richard Bissen’s bold plan to phase out more than 7,000 short-term vacation rentals and convert them into long-term housing is facing major delays. Originally set to begin this July, the proposal hasn’t even made it onto the County Council’s agenda. Council members say they’re waiting for more economic impact data—though a study meant to inform their decision has yet to materialize.
The delay leaves the future of Maui’s vacation rental market and its role in the island’s broader housing crisis in limbo. For now, the status quo remains, and so do the tensions between housing needs and tourism economics. Mayor Bissen was quoted as saying, “How strange is it that we have more housing for visitors than the people who live here?”
