Japanese Tourism Industry Struggles Due to COVID-19 Impact... "Accommodation Bookings Down Up to 90%"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The Japanese tourism industry is freezing up due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported on the 24th. The Japanese government revealed that some accommodation providers, including hotels, saw reservations for March and April drop by as much as 90%.

According to the report, Kazuyoshi Akaba, Japan's Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, announced the results of an investigation into the impact of COVID-19 on tourism-related industries such as aviation, accommodation, and travel during a press conference after the Cabinet meeting on the same day. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism conducted a survey as of the 17th on the number of reservations and revenue across various sectors nationwide, including accommodation, travel, aviation, and charter buses.

In a survey of 97 accommodation providers, responses indicated that reservations for March and April are expected to decrease by 30% to 90% compared to the same months last year. Small and medium-sized travel agencies reported that reservations dropped by 74% in March alone and are expected to decrease by 68% in April.

Charter bus operators anticipated passenger transport revenue to decline by 79% in March and 64% in April. The aviation industry reported that as of the 13th, the number of passengers transported in March decreased by 60% on international flights and 45% on domestic flights, with projections for April showing a 46% decrease on international flights and 45% on domestic flights.

The Japanese government held a focused public hearing with the tourism industry the day before to hear opinions from industry stakeholders regarding the COVID-19 situation. Minister Akaba stated, "We will respond appropriately to implement relevant measures once the situation stabilizes."

Earlier, the Japan Tourism Agency announced on the 19th that the number of foreign visitors to Japan in the previous month was 1,085,100, a 58.3% decrease compared to the same period last year. The decline rate of foreign visitors to Japan is the second highest on record, following April 2011 (-62.5%) immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake. The sharp drop in foreign visitors is due to the spread of COVID-19.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.