Arie Luyendyk Jr. Reveals the ‘Biggest Fear’ From Maui Community Following Hawaii’s Devastating Wildfires (Exclusive)

Arie Luyendyk Jr. is giving back to Maui. The former Bachelor star, who has a home in Kula, Maui, recently traveled to the island to check on his property and help displaced families near the town of Lahaina, which suffered the most damage during the recent wildfires. Now, he's speaking up about what he's heard the island needs the most: tourism.

"The biggest fear from my friends and the community there is that people will stop traveling to Maui, because 81% of every dollar comes from outside of Hawaii. It's really dependent on tourism," he exclusively told The Messenger. "I think the overarching message at first was, 'Hey, look, we need time to heal. Please don't come to Maui.' But now we're getting to the stage where the families that have been displaced are now being taken care of. FEMA has moved in and really the rest of the island is kind of suffering because of the lack of tourism."

The former NASCAR driver encouraged visitors to see cities like Wailea and Paia, which are open for business, but to stay away from West Maui, which was heavily affected by the fires.

According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, "no one" should be visiting West Maui aside from returning residents and emergency workers; however, Governor Josh Green encouraged tourists to travel to other areas of the island.

"All of the other areas of Maui… and the rest of Hawaii are safe," he said. "When you come, you will support our local economy and help speed the recovery of the people that are suffering right now."

Luyendyk Jr. added that his family will be traveling to the island for his 42nd birthday in September, where they'll be doing any volunteer work that is "left that we can do." During his recent trip, he cooked breakfast and got clothes for families at the War Memorial Stadium Complex in Wailuku, and he's excited to share the experience of volunteering with his oldest child Alessi, 4. He also shares twins Senna and Lux, 2, with wife Lauren Burnham, whom he met on his season of The Bachelor.

"We want to also show [Alessi] that side of life," he explained. "We need to go help people when they when they're in need. And so it would be a good lesson for her to do a little volunteer work, too."

Luyendyk Jr. chatted with The Messenger in honor of his partnership with Scotch, where he's promoting two moving supplies products — the Scotch Box Lock and the Scotch Cushion Lock, both of which ensure your fragile items are secure, even during rough handling.

As a real estate agent, Luyendyk Jr. knows the value of moving safely — but he also has a lot more family history with the brand.

"Scotch and my family go back a long time — they actually sponsored my dad's race car back in the early nineties," he explained. "Scotch just been sort of a brand that's been within our family. We would use their products forever."