When tourists become victims

By Kelly Yamanouchi
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Pali Lookout is one of O'ahu's most visited sites — and a popular hangout for thieves. Prominent signs now warn tourists of both the bugs and the bandits. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

"It dampens Hawai'i's image," Maier said of the experience. "My feeling of Hawai'i is you really have to be careful."

Maier added that he doubts many first-time visitors to Hawai'i are aware of the level of crime here.

His story and hundreds like it point to a problem increasingly faced by the state's No. 1 industry — how to warn visitors of the dangers of theft and other crimes without harming Hawai'i's reputation as a place with gentle people where tourists can relax and unwind.

It's not the usual message tourism promoters want to communicate. But what could be worse is when an unsuspecting tourist is robbed or assaulted and leaves with a bad impression of the Islands.

"You look at the beauty, you look at the serenity; by and large all they see is aloha. You don't see any jeopardy," said Terryl Vencl, executive director of the Maui Visitors Bureau. "That's why we need to make sure they understand that we're still in the real world. It's a wonderful place to be, but you always have to be aware of your surroundings."

The number of incidents of theft from tourists' vehicles increased from 526 in 2001 to 768 in 2002, according to the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawai'i, which assists tourists who run into trouble. The pace picked up in the first six months of 2003, the latest for which data are available, when there were 451 thefts from tourists' autos.

That coincides with statistics released last month showing Hawai'i had the highest rate of theft in the country last year.

There are few clear statistics to document the reason for the rise in crimes against tourists, but officials say many thefts and assaults may be related to the use of crystal methamphetamine.

"I think a lot of the crime is tied into drug use," said George Applegate, executive director of the Big Island Visitors Bureau.

To be fair, experts say, the crime rate in Hawai'i (based on number of crimes per 100,000 population) may be inflated because many tourists are victims of crimes but their numbers are not included in the population count. On any given day there are about 150,000 visitors in the state.

The theft numbers also don't necessarily indicate Hawai'i is a seriously dangerous place. Hawai'i still has a far lower violent-crime rate than California and the national average.

The most common types of crimes against tourists are car break-ins, stolen cars, purse snatchings, and occasionally condominium or hotel-room break-ins. Occasionally, tourists are physically assaulted.

Some tourists say they are unfazed by the possibility of crime, or don't see it as a major concern.

"The people I have seen are friendly," said Michael Dugan, in Hawai'i for eight days from Greeley, Colo. He heard talk at the USS Arizona Memorial about the possibility of theft and acknowledged tourists who become victims may think differently of Hawai'i. But, he said, "I would be surprised if there were a lot of crime."

Andrew Carey, who is visiting Hawai'i with his wife from Ohio, said the rental-car agency warned him to take all of his belongings out of the car. Still, he said, crimes happening in Hawai'i wouldn't spoil his vacation.

"We travel a lot. It's everywhere," Carey said.

Still, tourism officials say more needs to be done to keep crime from damaging the state's tourism industry.

Hawai'i Tourism Authority executive director Rex Johnson has been meeting with county police departments in recent months to discuss the issue. He said they are working to develop a message to warn tourists about crime and to advocate additional money and other legislative initiatives for police.

Several programs across the state are aimed at helping tourists who are victims of criminal acts. Each county has a visitor-assistance program financed in part by the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, which spends $200,000 on visitor assistance annually. Maui has a four-officer police unit established to serve tourists. Honolulu's prosecuting attorney's office also has a visitor-assistance program that works with the county program.

"People who are victims of crime who are visitors need ... special hand-holding,"Vencl said.

Police or hotel staff refer tourists to the program, where they get help canceling credit cards, changing airline reservations and extending hotel stays, particularly if family members are hospitalized.

Many businesses, including hotels, car-rental agencies and airlines, donate products or services to help tourists who are victims of crime. Sometimes volunteers or officers will drive tourists where they need to go.

"To a certain extent, it's a way of saying, 'We're sorry that you had this bad experience' and try to help in any way we can, and hopefully to change some people's perceptions of Hawai'i after they've been victimized," said Murray Towill, president of the Hawai'i Hotel & Lodging Association. "You don't want them to be going and telling their friends that they had this bad experience."

But in some cases, especially small incidents or theft, it's still a damper on a vacation.

For example, in some cases tourists must pay for damage to rental cars ($100 to $175 to fix broken car locks) in addition to suffering the loss of stolen items, said Jay LeBaron, manager of Paradise Rent-a-car on Kalakaua Avenue.

Out of an average of 25 cars rented out a day, the frequency of car break-ins at his business ranges from two a month to as many as two a day. Most incidents happen when tourists head to the North Shore, LeBaron said. He advises tourists not to keep anything on the back seat of the car and if they are keeping anything in the trunk while they go to the beach, to put it in elsewhere so thieves at the beach don't see them doing it.

Many tourists from the Mainland are aware of crime, but some from other countries are surprised there is as much crime in Hawai'i as there is, LeBaron said.

Sometimes visitors are not terribly disturbed after being robbed, but for others, it ruins their trips and their view of the Islands.

"It really depends on how their vacation was going up until then, and what was stolen. If it's just a towel and $20, people don't really care about that," LeBaron said.

But other times, "I have people come up here and say, 'I got my camera stolen, I lost all my pictures. This is B.S., I'm never coming here again.'"

Reach Kelly Yamanouchi at 535-2470, or at kyamanouchi@honoluluadvertiser.com.