On the more positive side, protests were small and conducted peacefully. Demonstrators used e-mail more than the streets to communicate their concerns about the ability of the Asian Development Bank to address the needs of the poor and environmental issues. ADB also had the opportunity to tell how it annually loans $5.8 billion to developing nations to combat poverty. The meeting also was consistent with the goals of state and tourism officials to enhance the credibility of Hawaii to, as the Associated Press put it in an article this week, "market itself as a serious place to do business."
In reflection, though, we wonder if the enormous cost in terms of law-enforcement protection and turning parts of Ala Moana Park into a military outpost were offset by the state and city gaining additional exposure through 3,000 conventioneers holding a successful meeting here.
The ADB meeting, originally set for Seattle, was moved to Hawaii after protests there rocked a meeting of the World Trade Organization in 1999. Gov. Ben Cayetano was especially excited about the ADB meeting coming here, believing it would help fulfill his dream of making Hawaii the "Geneva of the Pacific" for gatherings of international groups.
Similarly, both the Hawaii Tourism Authority, which distributes money from room taxes, and the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, which markets tourism, see the ADB meeting as an outstanding opportunity to demonstrate the state can be a business meeting destination just as successfully as a place to seek sand, surf and the sea.
We agree with all of that, but we wonder if the price was worth the exposure. Estimates vary, but the price of law-enforcement seems to be excessive when weighed against the benefits of image enhancement. No one seems to have a good fix on those costs with estimates ranging from $3 million to $6 million.
The pattern of violence from Seattle, Washington, D.C., Quebec City, and in Thailand, where the ADB last met, left local authorities with no choice except to prepare for a siege. Protesters, though, likely found Honolulu less than a cost-effective venue for large-scale protests. The small group marching down Kalakaua Avenue Wednesday afternoon certainly didn't look like people ready to smash plate-glass windows or to challenge the authority of police officers.
Checks made through Wednesday didn't indicate that the media was paying much attention to the ADB meeting other than a few routine wire-service reports. Clearly there were some benefits to Hawaii: Businesspeople from here earlier in the week gained exposure to speakers with insights on the Asian economy. And there were reassuring words from a number of speakers that Hawaii can have a place in the global economy because of its unique geographic location and cultural understanding with the East and West. Native Hawaiians, too, effectively used the venue to share their heritage, values and visions.
We share the dream that Hawaii can be seen as a serious place to hold business and association meetings and that the $300 million Hawaii Convention Center will fulfill its mission of generating new visitor business. And we join in the excitement when groups like the dentists and Lions and large companies come to Honolulu for large meetings.
But we remain skeptical whether the goal of making Honolulu the "Geneva of the Pacific" is furthered by meetings like the Asian Development Bank or the World Trade Organization. These gatherings disrupt the community and offer enormous downside risks to the community's reputation if there are demonstrations and riots similar to Seattle.
Hawaii has made enormous investments in building and maintaining its reputation and market position in tourism. The Hawaii Tourism Authority and the HVCB have created a solid strategic plan to make the state viable in both leisure and business travel. But, in our view, meetings like that of the Asian Development Bank, do little to achieve those goals.