Report looks at tourism crisis responses
By Kelly Yamanouchi
Advertiser Staff Writer
A new report says Hawai'i did a good job in developing contingency plans following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, although for all visitor destinations there remains room for improvement.
The report released by Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation International Centre for Sustainable Tourism is aimed at helping visitor destinations prepare for unexpected events that can disrupt people's lives and cause serious economic damage.
Locations such as Hawai'i suffer severely from crises such as terrorism and SARS, the report notes. But while such events are difficult for residents, according to the report, tourist destinations also have a responsibility to help visitors in unfamiliar surroundings who can become disoriented and reliant on their host communities.
Peter de Jong, Pacific Asia Travel Association president and chief executive, said in a message in the report that it took SARS to drive home just how economically dependent the countries of Asia Pacific are on travel for their economic well-being.
"It is our responsibility to never again let a crisis cause so much harm to our industry," he said.
While Hawai'i did not suffer the drastic declines in tourism experienced by locations such as Hong Kong, the state's tourism industry did see double-digit declines in travel from Japan.
The report praised Australia and New Zealand for their well-prepared crisis management systems. But it also pointed to Hawai'i's post-Sept. 11 actions as an example of a well-coordinated response and recovery effort.
As an example, researchers said the Hawai'i Visitors and Convention Bureau's communications command center set up with the help of the Hawai'i Tourism Authority and industry associations helped stranded visitors with relevant information.
While some destinations did well following Sept. 11, the report recommended that officials have a crisis management plan for tourism with sufficient resources. It also suggested each location review legislation, form a tourism council, develop risk management plans with the tourism industry and have a detailed media strategy.
The Hawai'i Tourism Authority received $10 million in appropriations to help the visitor industry recover from the economic effects stemming from the terrorist attacks, but some of the recovery programs were criticized.
"What we did with the response to 9/11 was pretty thorough, and I think we responded extremely well," said Pauline Sheldon, interim director of research and training at the University of Hawai'i's School of Travel Industry Management, which contributed to the report.
But she added: "All destinations, including Hawai'i, can do more to be ready."
Reach Kelly Yamanouchi at 525-2470, or kyamanouchi@honoluluadvertiser.com.
