HONOLULU — The City of Honolulu has been recognized as the “safest city to visit in the world” this year, up from 12th place last year.
According to Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection’s State of Travel Insurance Safest Destinations report — which surveys U.S. travelers’ attitudes toward travel safety and travel insurance — Honolulu was the only city in the country to reach the top 10.
“It’s one thing to be number one locally, number one in the state, number one in the nation, but to be number one in the world, it’s certainly an opportunity to take a step back and be able to let that sink in, and then proceed to the next step,” Mufi Hannemann, Hawai‘i Tourism Authority board chair and Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association president and CEO, said Wednesday during a news conference at the Hawai‘i Convention Center.
Hannemann said that Honolulu leads in safety for health specialists, women, LGBTQ+ communities, people of color and in combating violent crimes.
Ranking first on this list was not something the department planned on or strove for, according to Honolulu Police Department Chief Arthur “Joe” Logan.
“It’s something we do diligently every day to do our job to make this the safest place in the world,” he said.
Crime in Honolulu is currently on a downward trend, although there are pockets where this trend isn’t consistently observed, Logan said.
Logan later told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the implementation of Safe & Sound Waikiki — a program to address community concerns over criminal activity and homelessness in the area — has helped reduce crime in Waikiki since being launched in September 2022.
Crime in most categories, including violent ones, have dropped by double digits in Waikiki since the program started.
However, disorderly conduct cases as of April rose significantly — by 44.8 percent — during that same period.
“I don’t see that as a downside,” Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Steven Alm said. “That means troublemakers are getting arrested and being taken off the street.”
Alm said that keeping Honolulu safe is a team effort between the county, the state and community members, along with a “combination of using the right laws.”
He noted the county’s success in apprehending habitual property offenders. Currently, multiple violations are misdemeanors, but habitual property offenders soon could face felony charges for repeated violations.
Gov. Josh Green has not approved Senate Bill 2347, proposed by state Sen. Sharon Moriwaki of the Waikiki district, which would establish the offense of habitual violent crime.
If enacted, the bill would provide the state with an additional tool to address repeated assaults.
Logan said that HPD, the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney and the city continuously collaborate to fulfill the county’s mission of apprehending suspects, investigating crimes, enforcing laws and maintaining order.
“I think part of this ranking has a lot to do with the fact that the aloha spirit is alive and well,” Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said. “This is a reflection of our people as a whole.”
