SARS' effect on tourism in Hawai'i still unclear
By Kelly Yamanouchi
Advertiser Staff Writer
The mysterious illness known as severe acute respiratory syndrome has the tourism industry worried, but no clear and significant impact has been felt yet, key Hawai'i tourism officials said.
While the fear of SARS is causing a sharp drop in visitor and business travel to Asian destinations, similar declines have not been seen in Hawai'i yet.
With four unconfirmed cases of the disease, the state may have escaped so far from the fallout that is hitting other tourist locations.
Any effects may be masked by the impact evident from the war with Iraq. Much of the drop in visitor arrivals for the past two weeks has been attributed to war fears.
Some in Hawai'i's tourism industry still worry that SARS has the potential to hurt tourism even more than the Gulf War did.
So far, however, several hotels say they have not seen any discernable effects on their guest counts stemming from the illness.
"At this point we don't have any concern," said David Uchiyama, spokesman for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Starwood has not made any changes in operations because of the outbreak.
David Carey, chief executive of Outrigger Enterprises Inc., said bookings have slowed, but he said he cannot determine if any of it is the result of SARS fears.
Hawaiian Airlines reported receiving some calls from people who have asked about SARS, but it has had "very minimal impact on reservations," spokesman Keoni Wagner said.
Japanese tour wholesalers say they hope that travelers canceling trips to Asia will visit Hawai'i instead.
The United Nations World Health Organization health agency this week advised travelers to avoid Hong Kong and the Chinese province of Guangdong because of SARS.
Tourism industry executives here are carefully watching SARS' effect on the tourism industry in Asia, knowing that Hawai'i is not immune to similar devastating declines.
An American Airlines flight from Tokyo that was quarantined by authorities on the tarmac in San Jose, Calif., this week after five people on board complained of SARS-like symptoms scared many in Hawai'i. All five people were cleared, but the episode was far from comforting.
"The fact that the federal authorities were willing to do that in the first place says that there is a risk," said Carey.
"We're just holding our breath."
