That’s what we asked some of the people tonight who organized APEC.
"From what we’re hearing people are really happy with how things have gone. The president himself last night said Hawaii did a tremendous job in hosting APEC leaders week this past week," said APEC Hawaii Host Committee Chairman Peter Ho.
"I’ve been very impressed with how things have worked," said Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle.
Never before has Hawaii had so many world dignitaries and top business leaders all here at once.
It was Hawaii’s time to shine.
"It really helped to reposition our islands as not just a place to come for vacation but also a place where you can come and do serious business," Ho says. "As of this morning the Lieutenant Governor informed me we have up to 6,000 articles written when you Google, Google news, APEC/Hawaii."
But just like many things in life , things don’t always go as planned.
The Hawaii Host Committee had estimated that 2,000 members of the media from Hawaii and around the world would come for APEC, but -
"I think we settled in at 1200-1300 people actually picking up their credentials," Ho said.
And quite a number of local businesses and workers didn’t expect to lose as much money as they did.
"It is a problem, but in the long run we hope you’re going to realize a gain that’s going to be well worth the inconveniences and the loss of some revenues at this time," Carlisle said.
So despite the inconveniences, including Carmageddon, those in charge of APEC on the local end say it’s all worth it.
"Thank you so much to the community for your support and patience. I know it’s been challenging, but I really believe this is going to be great for our future," Ho said.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
