LAHAINA >> Hotels in West Maui are fuller than others across Maui but the combination of wildfire evacuees and workers from the American Red Cross, Federal Emergency Management Agency and other relief organizations means some tourist-oriented hotel operations are shuttered and reduced, affecting hotel workers — many of whom rely on tips.

“No banquet functions, no weddings, no luau,” said Cade Watanabe, financial secretary-­treasurer for Unite Here Local 5 — which represents over 900 Maui hotel, food service and health care workers.

Other typical operations such as restaurant and bar service also have been severely curtailed, meaning Local 5 members are working far fewer hours and receiving far fewer tips, Watanabe said.

One hotel in West Maui closed its bar and instead “serves coffee and limited drinks to FEMA workers only in the morning” as they begin the day helping connect evacuees to services, Watanabe said.

The change in operations means that some workers serving coffee are putting in fewer hours “instead of working two or three (bar) shifts throughout the day,” he said.

Along with reduced tips, “even for those that are working, they’re not earning as much even if they’re clocking in for six hours,” Watanabe said.

Sunday marked the official reopening of West Maui to visitors from the resort area that stretches from the Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua to Kahana Villa. It will be followed by two more phases — from Mahinahina to Maui Kaanapali Villas; and then from the Royal Lahaina Resort to the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, but no dates have been set.

There was plenty of open space Monday at D.T. Fleming Beach Park, an often crowded swath of sand backed by ironwood trees that fronts the Ritz-Carlton.

Ray Stites, a visitor from Flagstaff, Ariz., was one of a handful tourists at the beach park. Stites is staying in nearby Kahana and ended up in Kapalua on his quest to explore the natural beauty of Maui.

He said news coverage of the fires touched him, and he booked a trip with plans to stay for about a month.

“I’m at a time in my life where I can give back,” Stites said. “I’m here to help.”

Since the fire, there has been a rise in tensions between some residents toward tourism. But Stites said that he has been welcomed.

“It’s so great I never want to leave,” he said. “I want to move here now.”

During Sunday’s reopening, some restaurants and activities remained closed.

A few more shops at Whalers Village reopened Monday in Kaanapali where relief workers and fire evacuees are staying. But many stores remained shuttered.

The Hula Grill Kaanapali was packed at lunch, but there was no wait for a table. Its sister restaurant, Leilani’s On The Beach, was less full, but had more customers than before the reopening.

Legendary Kaanapali Beach was mostly empty, and only three commercial umbrella sets had been arranged for guests.

On Monday, the lounges and cabanas and the blue waters of the luxury pools at the Ritz-Carlton were nearly empty, too. Staff outnumbered guests by at least 3 to 1 on the grounds leading down to the ocean.

There was no lunchtime crowd at the hotel’s Burger Shack, which offers cocktails and casual oceanfront dining, and will even pack a meal for a day on Kapalua Beach. One family breezed into the venue and had their pick of seats with a view.

Parking spaces were easy to find for the Kapalua Coastal Trail.

During the traditionally slow “shoulder season” currently underway, tourists were expected to occupy 55.5% of South Maui hotels beginning on Sunday and rising to 59.4% on Friday, according to a survey conducted by Lisa Paulson, executive director of the Maui Lodging and Hotel Association.

But in West Maui, Paulson’s survey forecast only 9.3% visitor occupancy starting Sunday and peaking at 16.8% on Saturday for this week.

However, unlike South Maui hotels, fire evacuees and relief workers from around the country mean they’ll boost total occupancy in West Maui to 60% to 75%, Paulson said

Some 7,800 fire evacuees are staying in over 3,000 hotel rooms, mostly in Kaanapali. But there are virtually no relief workers and few evacuees just north of Kaanapali, such as the resort area that reopened Sunday, Paulson said.

Hotels across Maui that rely on tourists continue to suffer from lingering misconceptions about what areas are welcoming visitors — similar to what happened when Kilauea erupted on Hawaii island in 2018, said Mufi Hannemann, a member of the Hawaii Tourism Authority board and CEO and president of the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association.

Barely two months after the Aug. 8 Maui wildfires, he said, “all the attention has been on West Maui and rightfully so because of Lahaina. But we continue to battle this perception that this is not the time to come to Maui and that Maui is completely shut down. That’s not true. South Maui, Upcountry and Hana are open.”

Some Maui hotels already have reduced their room rates, such as in Wailea where the average daily room rates have been cut 20%.

But hotels can only lower rates so much and still keep employees working, Hannemann said.

“You can’t expect them to do a $100 rate or a $200 rate or $250 because they don’t want to lay off employees — but they can’t give them the hours that they need,” he said. “They have many people from Lahaina that work in South Maui.”

Some properties are offering other incentives, such as a fifth night for a four-night booking, Hannemann said.

Except for the heart of Lahaina, which remains off limits, tourists have been in West Maui ever since the wildfires, although in vastly reduced numbers, and continue to arrive by planes and cruise lines.

The lack of visitors has been illustrated by the fleet of moth-balled rental cars — parked in rows on fallow land outside of Kahului Airport — that otherwise would be on Maui roads and at hotels and attractions.

Gov. Josh Green and Maui Mayor Richard Bissen have repeatedly encouraged travel to Maui, other than Lahaina, but Hannemann said inaccurate perceptions linger.

“It’s not for lack of trying,” Hannemann said. “No one will be fined as a penalty. It really is a voluntary compliance.”

Some potential visitors may also worry they’ll face a backlash from fire survivors or others opposed to tourism.

Overall, Hannemann said, the perceptions are wrong, leading to an economic ripple effect all across Maui.

“People are confused,” Hannemann said. “Golf courses, restaurants, accommodations, small businesses are all open, especially along that South Maui corridor.”