Cayetano, business leaders seek to reassure Japanese

By David Butts
Advertiser Staff Writer

Gov. Ben Cayetano's message: "Please understand, more than ever, we want you to come to Hawai'i." Advertiser library photo • Jan. 9, 2001

With a tone more serious than on previous visits, Cayetano began the one-week "aloha mission" to Japan just days after the United States began retaliatory air strikes on Afghanistan. The Hawai'i group was undaunted.

"There is no good time to go," said Walter Dods, chief executive and chairman of First Hawaiian Bank. "This battle is going to go on for years. It's not going to be a quick thing. You just have to get out there and do your thing."

Japanese arrivals in Hawai'i have been cut in half since the terrorist attacks, robbing the state of about $4 million a day in spending, contributing to thousands of layoffs in the tourism industry, and helping fuel the shock waves shuddering through the economy.

As part of Hawai'i's campaign to regain Japanese travelers, Cayetano will be featured in black-and-white print advertisements that begin running in Japan tomorrow, assuring the Japanese that Hawai'i welcomes them.

"I understand that many of you are wondering if it is acceptable to have fun under these circumstances, and that some of you are considering canceling trips you have planned," Cayetano says in the advertisement. "However, please understand, more than ever, we want you to come to Hawai'i."

High-level meeting

The governor is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi tomorrow. Cayetano said yesterday that if that meeting persuades Koizumi to encourage the Japanese people to travel to Hawai'i, the group's mission to the country will be a success.

In addition to assurances, the governor said the group is putting together a "Hawai'i value pass" that will be given to all tourists to the Islands as they check in at their hotels, entitling them to discounts on meals, attractions and shopping.

Nonprofit attractions, including the Bishop Museum and the Honolulu Zoo, will offer free or discounted admission. Dods said he has asked businesses to donate money to those attractions to compensate for any losses they incur with the discounts or free entry.

With the seriousness of the global events that have unfolded, the governor is hoping to set the right tone for this trip. Gone are the hula dancers and 'ukulele players that accompanied previous missions aimed at encouraging tourism. And unlike those previous missions, the members of this group were told to avoid aloha wear.

"It's the first time in three months I've worn a tie," said University of Hawai'i President Evan Dobelle.

Yesterday, the Hawai'i contingent — which includes two former governors, two mayors, executives from seven hotel chains, officials from the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, the heads of the Islands' top two banks, and officials with the two local airlines — split into several groups and scattered around the city to meet with travel agents and deliver their message.

"When things are tough, that's when you plant your seeds, lay your groundwork, go out to meet people," said Dods. "Especially in Japan, they really remember when you are there in the tough times."

Noriharu Takazawa, president of JTB Hawaii, thanked the group for coming and said it is exactly what Japan needs right now.

Takazawa said JTB Hawaii bookings are down about 20 percent since the terrorist attacks. He noted that the drop in business was similar during the Gulf War in 1991, but at that time Japan's economy was still doing well. Now, the country's economy is struggling, making it more difficult to regain any lost business.

And some analysts said yesterday that a prolonged retaliation by the United States and its allies against Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network could deal a devastating blow to the already hard-hit Japanese economy and further shake consumer spending on travel.

Fear of chain reaction

Masaru Takagi, a professor of economics at Meiji University, said a prolonged military campaign would set off a vicious chain reaction.

"A steep U.S. economic contraction would lead to declines in Japanese exports, production, employment and capital investment," said Takagi, who served as research director at Fuji Research Institute. "The military action could deal a fatal blow to Japan's ailing economy."

Yesterday, however, many airlines indicated they were unable to say whether travel passenger volume or reservations had fallen off yet as a result of the strikes.

Taka Kono, president of Honolulu-based market research firm Japan Report, said yesterday that the U.S. actions appeared to be having little effect on Japanese arrivals.

Kono said no cancellations were reported and 3,230 visitors from Japan arrived in Hawai'i. That's still down, however, from the daily average of about 5,000 before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

An official with Jalpak International Hawaii Inc. said Japanese tourists did not seem to be affected yesterday by the news of the air strikes.

"People staying here are saying they feel Hawai'i is very safe — and that's good for us," said Tamaki Jalpak, vice president of Jalpak International Hawai'i. "There hasn't been overreaction, people have been very calm for now."

Advertiser news services and Advertiser Staff Writer John Duchemin contributed to this report.