It is a common misconception;that visitor rentals outside of hotel zoning are prohibited by General or Community Plan language. It is important to distinguish between language which prohibits and language which restricts or limits vacation rentals. Throughout the Plans, visitor homes are not prohibited but are restricted or limited, so they do not interfere with agricultural activities or the traditional lifestyle in neighborhoods. Regulations proposed by MVRA are designed to accomplish such restrictions and limitations, consistent with the intent of the applicable Plans.

Another point, sometimes overlooked, is the difference between the 1980 General Plan and the 1990 General Plan. In the 1980 General Plan, visitor accommodations were confined to designated resort areas. Although that provision is sometimes still quoted in current discussions, it no longer appears in the General Plan. In the 1990 General Plan revision, Maui's increased economic dependence on visitor spending was acknowledged. Therefore, the language confining visitor accommodations to resort areas was removed. The 1990 General Plan leaves it up to each Community Plan to allow, limit or restrict visitor accommodations within that Plan's geographical area.

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