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Maui, Hawaii

The Maui Swap Meet is jammed in its second week after reopening at the University of Hawaii Maui College in Kahului, Hawaii, Saturday, June 19, 2021. The Hawaiian island of Maui has become so overrun with tourists in recent months that its mayor is taking the unusual step of pleading with airlines to fly in fewer people.
The Maui Swap Meet is jammed in its second week after reopening at the University of Hawaii Maui College in Kahului, Hawaii, Saturday, June 19, 2021. The Hawaiian island of Maui has become so overrun with tourists in recent months that its mayor is taking the unusual step of pleading with airlines to fly in fewer people. Photo: Matthew Thayer/The Maui News (AP)

The Hawaiian islands received over 2 million visitors last year, a local news website reported. Maui has struggled with water access due to drought earlier this year; last year, the dry conditions become so bad the island’s government enacted water restrictions. This prompted locals to ask tourists to reconsider visiting, the Washington Post reported.

Native Hawaiians have also asked tourists to stop visiting the islands in droves. Overcrowding has raised rental prices, strained access to water, and stressed aquatic ecosystems. Tourists have sometimes disturbed wildlife or have visited protected areas, despite being asked not to.

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