Concern Hawaii acid attack could chill Chinese tourism

By Paul Drewes

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    HONOLULU (KITV) — The suspect in an acid attack appeared in court Monday and will be back in court Wednesday. Sebastian Mahkwan has been charged with attempted murder and assault charges.

While the victim, Danying Zhang will have permanent disfigurement, because of the severity of the burns – according to court documents

Zhang is from Beijing, where this case has attracted attention.

In Hawaii, there has been an outpouring of support for the victim of the acid attack, who received third degree burns and life threatening injuries.

The Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii started up a GoFundMe page to help her pay for her rising medical bills.

“Initially, our goal was $5,000 and it is well over $100,000 now. It shows how giving the community is here,” said Chamber President Mike Young.

The attack also generated negative publicity in China, which used to play an important part in Hawaii’s tourism industry.

Prior to COVID visitors from China were substantial and contributed to the economy.

The number of tourists from China reached a peak in 2015, when more than 165,000 arrived in the islands.

They make an impact in the tourism industry, not just because of the number of arrivals, but how they spend.

In 2022, Chinese visitors spent, on average, $341 a day – the highest of all visitors. Well over spending by Japanese tourists at $235 and US west coast visitors at $221.

Spending levels are back up to where they were before the COVID pandemic. But Chinese visitor arrivals are not.

In 2022, just under 14,000 Chinese visitors came to Hawaii. A far cry from the more than 90,000 in 2019.

What is the reason visitor arrivals from China haven’t rebounded like other markets? One reason is getting here is harder than in the past.

“There isn’t a direct way to get to Hawaii from China. We had to go thru the Philippines to get to China. In the past, even Hawaiian Airlines had direct flights to China,” stated Young.

He and other members of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii took a trip last year to China to re-establish sister city relationships. They also shared culture and trade opportunities, encouraging more tourists to visit and also experts to share their knowledge by working here.

That was what Zhang was doing before the acid attack

Young worries the crime could have a chilling effort not only Hawaii’s tourism industry, but also its educational exchange.

“I would hope that people look past it, but it is definitely a concern,” added Young.

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