Editorials
Thursday, August 28, 1997THE fragile nature of tourism and the need to broaden the market are underscored by the visitor arrival figures for July. The numbers from Japan and other Asian-Pacific countries were down 4.5 percent. However, this slump was largely offset by a 3.1 percent increase in westbound visitors. California, where the economy has been surging, showed a hefty 7.5 percent increase from July 1996. Overall numbers were down a slight 0.2 percent, but would have been much worse without the strong showing in arrivals from the U.S. mainland and Canada. Convention center’s
importance for tourismJapan, of course, continues to be a prime source of visitors for Hawaii, but the economy's current weakness may be taking a toll. The Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau credits a mainland marketing campaign for the westbound increase while noting that an ad campaign in Japan isn't expected to show results until later.
Despite all the talk about economic diversification, tourism remains the islands' economic mainstay and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. Developing extensive visitor markets in different regions provides flexibility needed to weather adverse conditions in particular countries.
Construction of the Hawaii Convention Center is another potentially important factor because it should draw large numbers of visitors to the state during the traditionally slow seasons. The center is rapidly nearing completion. The spectacular glass curtain wall at the entrance, comprised of 100-foot panels, has just been installed. More than two dozen conventions have already been booked.
Despite the long history of controversy, the convention center is about to become a functioning reality, with the opening coming next spring or summer. When it is operating, Hawaii tourism will take on a new dimension.
HE has earned his place in history. Now it is time to leave the political arena. F.W. de Klerk, who came to power in South Africa as the leader of the party that created the apartheid system of racial segregation but proceeded to dismantle it, has resigned as National Party leader. De Klerk, 61, said he was leaving to give the party time to regroup before the 1999 elections. It is struggling for survival in the drastically changed political environment that he helped create. De Klerk bows out
Thanks to de Klerk and Nelson Mandela, the pacifist leader of the anti-apartheid movement, South Africa was spared the worst of racial violence in its conversion to majority rule.
WOODMAN, spare that tree and help reduce the crime rate. That's the message in a study conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois. The study concludes that residents of urban neighborhoods landscaped with trees are less likely to engage in violent crime than those living in barren blocks. It should come as no surprise that aesthetic surroundings are soothing, but they don't guarantee safety. Safe in the shade
The study's conclusions can be expected to be met with similar skepticism in urban areas other than Chicago. It will hardly cause New Yorkers seeking a refuge from violent crime to flock to Central Park.
Rupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor
