Letters from Majuro
A Small World
Horrific Terrorist Attacks in America Affect Everyone.
Twenty-five years ago, it would have taken a few days for news of the horrific terrorist attacks in the U.S. to filter out to many Pacific Islands. This past September 11, with even many remote islands now wired into the Internet and cable television, people watched the events in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania in “real time.” The attacks may have been 7,000 to 10,000 miles away from the Pacific, but distance in this interconnected world did little to reduce the enormity of the attacks.
Many in the Pacific, too, will experience fallout in one form or another from the attacks on America. This will be most noticeable for the islands that rely heavily on tourism, which is to say the majority. Early indications are that people are canceling travel plans and staying home. The Japanese, in particular, who account for a major portion of the visitor flow in the region, have shown in the past that if they perceive danger, they stay at home, witness the greatly reduced numbers of out-bound travelers during the Gulf War and after the KAL crash in Guam in the late 1990s.
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For islands that depend not on millions but just a few thousand visitors annually to prop up their economies, the next few months and — depending on the extent of and collateral damage from the anticipated U.S. military response — into the next year will prove to be tough times for many Pacific tourist destinations. Indeed, the uncertainty affecting the world economy and people’s sense of security will extend and worsen in direct proportion to the scale of the military response that is mounted.
Perhaps the American affiliated islands in the region will see greater impact than in the south, as the closing of all the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration-controlled airports in the area in the immediate wake of the attacks showed. But these outrageous and seemingly unthinkable attacks on civilians in the U.S. raise the concern over relatively lax security at airports throughout the Pacific. One of the small joys of travel in the smaller Pacific Islands is the familiarity and friendliness that, generally, is in short supply in the larger American, Australian and Asian airports. Unfortunately, it’s going to have to change for the peace of mind of passengers.
But striking the right security balance may be a challenge with the ripples of tension that have spread as a result of September 11. For example, a heightened sense of alert in Majuro resulted in the two-day jailing in late September of a visitor because he exhibited “suspicious” behavior, which forced the local visitors authority into damage control to offset the obvious negative impact on the fledgling tourism industry. Headlines blaring “tourist arrested” aren’t likely to increase the visitor count.
What’s the likelihood of a terrorist picking a target in the Pacific? On a scale of 1-to-10, you’d have to say it must rank pretty well near the bottom — though the World Trade Center attack shows that the “unthinkable” can happen. Still, because many islands don’t have the wherewithal to implement many of the security changes now going into effect at airports, in immigration, etc., in the U.S. and elsewhere, the very remoteness of most of the Pacific is likely to remain its best protection — and it’s ongoing attraction to visitors.
Contact Giff Johnson at pacmag@NTAMAR.com.
