The 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan on March 11, 2011, led to the concomitant decline in Japan’s outbound and inbound travel. Japan is still troubled by the lingering radiation concerns stemming from the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Prior to the quake-tsunami event, Japan’s tourism sector showcased remarkable performance, with the arrival of 8.6 million foreign visitors in 2010, registering a 26% increase from 2009. However, in the month after the March 11 catastrophe, visitor numbers plummeted by more than 60%. With aggressive promotional strategies such as offering free return tickets and marketing the unique products that Japan manufactures, foreign visitor arrivals rebounded by September 2011, with the receipt of 539,000 visitors that month. However, the figure was 25% far from that in September 2010.
Despite rebounds in tourist arrivals, the Japanese government has yet to instil confidence among the global arena that Japan is a destination that is safe to visit. For instance, the outcry in October 2011 was sparked by residents in and around Tokyo performing their own radiation tests and discovered several sites of contamination. Such a situation surfaced despite rounds of assurances from the government that radiation from Fukushima had not spread 240 km south to Tokyo and not a risk to residents. Food safety is another area of concern. Foods such as spinach, mushrooms, tea, milk and bamboo shoots from Fukushima were contaminated with iodine and radioactive cesium. They can damage cells and increase the risk of cancer.
Japan believes that positive publicity is essential for bringing back tourists. Many hotels and tour agencies are introducing attractive deals to promote businesses. One ski company known as SkiJapan.com is offering free accommodation at hotels to draw visitors during the winter season. The Japan Tourism Agency also announced in October 2011 of its plans to offer round-trip airfare to 10,000 foreign residents in 2012 , and is still awaiting budgetary approval and could kickstart by April 2012. This initiative comes amidst the situation of more than 8,000 people who were still missing in northern Japan and the nuclear crisis yet to be resolved.
References:
- http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2092761_2310101,00.html
- http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2099119,00.html
- http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2099119,00.html
- http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/234858/news/world/japan-offers-10-000-free-trips-to-revive-tourism
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1370113/Japan-earthquake-Fukushima-reactor-nuclear-leak-causes-radiation-levels-rocket.html
