Tourism industry executives are scrambling to reassure visitors Hawaii is safe after a false missile alert caused widespread panic throughout the islands on Saturday morning.
"This morning's false alert was regrettable and completely avoidable," said George D. Szigeti, president and CEO of the Hawai'i Tourism Authority at a press conference. "There was no reason for the alert to be issued and the public needs to know that it was simply a mistake caused by human error. Our governor and the director of the Hawai'i Emergency Management Agency have made strong public assurances that this type of mistake will never happen again, and we should all take that to heart.
"Already, procedures have been improved to ensure that an error of this magnitude is not repeated. The health and welfare of our residents and visitors is always the State of Hawai'i's top priority and no agency takes that responsibility more seriously than the Hawai'i Emergency Management Agency.
"We have been in contact with our tourism stakeholders to inform them of today's false alert and reassure them that Hawai'i's safety and security is unaffected by today's unfortunate incident. There is no cause for travelers with trips already booked to Hawai'i or considering a vacation in the islands to change their plans."
The alert was mistakenly issued by the Hawai'i Emergency Management Agency just after 8 a.m. on Saturday morning. Visitors and residents alike received text messages with the ominous warning: "BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL."
It took about 40 minutes for the emergency agency to rectify the mistake, but in the meantime residents and visitors went running for cover, with many also complaining about the lack of information on what exactly to do in just such a situation.
According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Hawaiian Airlines sent a message asking airports to deplane passengers, although the airline quickly rescinded the message.
At the Sheraton Waikiki, guests were evacuated into the corridors, which have the thickest protection in the hotel.
"We didn't have any medical issues at the hotel, but we had some very panicked people," said Kelly Sanders, area general manager for Marriott Hawaii in a statement to the Star-Advertiser. "There were tears and families hugging themselves it was a very emotional 20 minutes. We were very lucky that nothing happened and it was a false alarm, but it does speak at a broader point to the geopolitical atmosphere in which we are living."
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Numerous professional golf players on the PGA Tour, in Honolulu for the Sony Open, were "freaked out" by the warning, reported USA Today.
Athlete JJ Spaun tweeted from the basement of his hotel, where he said there was barely any service.
Mufi Hannemann, the president and CEO of Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association, said the association is assessing whether there will be any short- or long-term damage to inbound tourism as a result of the false alarm.
"The question we have to ask is does this erode the confidence that people have in coming to Hawaii," he said.
In the meantime, Szigeti and the HTA are assuring travelers, "Hawai'i continues to be the safest, cleanest and most welcoming travel destination in the world and the alarm created today by the false alert does not change that at all."
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