Several tours from Hong Kong to Japan have been canceled or rescheduled due to the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that caused significant damage to several areas in Ishikawa, including tourist attractions.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported that Japan experienced an additional 200 earthquakes between the evening of January 2nd and the morning of January 3rd, bringing the total number since January 1st to 400. At least 64 people were killed and more than 300 injured in the 7.6 magnitude earthquake on January 1st in Ishikawa Prefecture. The Noto Peninsula was the hardest hit, with hundreds of buildings damaged.
Hong Kong's two largest travel companies announced on January 2nd that they had canceled or altered tours. WWPKG said all trips this month to Wajima, a heavily affected city in Ishikawa Prefecture, would be canceled for safety reasons. At least 10 tours with a total of 150 customers were affected. EGL Tours, which had 16 tours with 350 customers scheduled to depart in January, also had to adjust its itineraries.
According to WWPKG, customers can change their travel plans, switch destinations, or reserve their money to travel after the situation in Japan stabilizes. However, trips to other areas of Ishikawa Prefecture, such as Kanazawa City or the Wakura Onsen hot spring resort, will continue.
Given this information, many South Korean tourists are also hesitant about their upcoming trip to Japan. Japan is one of the most popular destinations for Korean tourists, so tour cancellations could lead to significant economic losses for the Japanese tourism industry.
People stand near a torii gate that collapsed due to the earthquake at Onohiyoshi Shrine in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, on January 1. Photo: Reuters
"I'm worried things will get more complicated when I get there," said a 60-year-old tourist from Seoul after paying for a tour to Kyoto. He added that he was considering canceling the tour.
Another Korean couple in their 30s, planning a trip to Tokyo, are considering changing their itinerary. "This isn't our first time in Japan, so we'll come another time because we don't know what might happen," the couple said.
However, the Japanese tourism industry says it has not yet seen mass tour cancellations. Local companies have received many inquiries from foreign partners but have not canceled trips because most tours booked in advance were not near Ishikawa Prefecture, which suffered the most severe consequences of the earthquake, or the tours were booked well in March or April.
Customers who cancel tours will be charged a cancellation fee, so many people who have already booked tours don't want to give up their trip. Currently, travel agencies in Korea and Japan are still operating normally.
A woman returns to her home, destroyed by the tsunami and earthquake, in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on June 2. Photo: AFP
(By Anh Minh , based on SCMP and Korea Times )
Source link
Comment (0)