Asian tourism suffering from repercussions of terrorist attacks
By David Allen and Chiyomi Sumida, Okinawa bureau
NAHA — The Sept. 11 terrorist attack in the United States is
hurting worldwide tourism.
Particularly hard hit are small tourist-dependent areas in Asia, such
as Okinawa and Guam, officials report. Both islands are popular tourist destinations for
Japanese travelers.
On Okinawa, about 95 percent of the 4.5 million annual tourists are
from the Japanese main islands. Tourism is the second largest source of income for the
island prefecture, second only to funds received from the national government.
This week, airports and tourist hotels are less crowded as travelers
stay home, scared the U.S. response to the terrorist attacks will affect their vacations.
And the “fear” effect is rippling through Asia. Airlines,
hotels and tour companies are reporting waves of cancellations from Hong Kong to Bangkok.
The World Tourism Organization said the attacks struck a “terrible blow” to the
industry.
“The magnitude of the tourism crisis will depend a great deal on
what happens in the weeks to come,” said Francesco Frangialli, secretary-general of
the organization. “If further actions are confined to a single region of the world,
there would be less repercussion.”
He said there are three main factors “currently wreaking havoc
on the tourism industry.”
They are: “Lack of consumer confidence in the safety of air
travel; uncertainty about the near future; and weakening of the global economy.”
U.S. and European airlines already have cut thousands of jobs.
British Airways said it will eliminate 5,000 jobs. American Airlines and United Airlines
have announced they will lay-off 20,000 people each.
Also, Boeing announced it would eliminate up to 30,000 jobs. And
Singapore Airlines warned last week that it was cutting flights and might have to cut
jobs.
Cancellations could cost Japanese travel companies more than $330
million, according to the Japan Association of Travel Agents. The association said half of
the people who were planning overseas trips from Japan have canceled.
Moody’s Investors Service last week changed its ratings outlook
on Japan Airlines from stable to “negative.”
Tourism officials on Okinawa hope the decline in business is
temporary.
“We would not say that there has been no impact of the terrorist
attacks on tourist industry in Okinawa,” said a spokesman for the Okinawa Tourist
Convention Bureau. “About 900 people canceled their trips to Okinawa, including
school-oriented tours.”
“But, at the same time, schools that planned overseas trips
… are shifting their destinations to Okinawa, so perhaps that will make up for the
loss,” he said. “About 1,100 high school students, who were planning to go to
Europe, Guam and Hawaii are coming to Okinawa instead of their original
destinations.”
He blamed the media for causing the fear of flying.
“It is natural for people to have concerns about their safety
after the attacks, so I would say that Okinawa’s tourism would have been affected to
certain degree,” he said. “But it is exacerbated by the influence of media
reports. The way the media focuses on Okinawa’s military bases — it gives the
wrong impression to people on the mainland that most of Okinawa is under strict security
control.
“This always happens to Okinawa,” the spokesman said.
“When there were conflicts among Yakuza (Japanese mafia) here, mainland people had
the impression that all of Okinawa was their battleground. Whenever a Habu (poisonous
snake) bites someone, they think the danger posed by Habu snakes is islandwide.
“It is a matter of course that the military bases are under
strict security control, but that does not mean that all of Okinawa has been placed under
tight security measures,” he said. “Our life here is as normal as ever and there
is no impact on facilities where tourists go.”
Masaaki Kusaka, director of the Japan Tourist Agency Association
office on Okinawa, said the tourism industry is in turmoil.
“Tour cancellations are natural at times like this,” he
said. “People are going to feel uncomfortable about vacationing where there is a lot
of U.S. military bases. Besides that, people are uncomfortable to get on airplanes.”
Tsuyoshi Yamashiro, a reservations clerk at the Zampa Royal Hotel in
Yomitan, said the cancellations have been devastating.
“As of Thursday, 11,096 people canceled their reservations since
the attacks occurred,” he said. “That’s a loss of about 10 million yen
($85,000) for our hotel. We expect more cancellations depending on how the situation
develops.
“Because the next three months — October, November and
December — is the peak season for school trips, we are afraid of further
cancellations,” he said.
Cancellations were being reported all over Asia. The Hong Kong
Inbound Travel Association reported that the number of tourists coming from the United
States, Europe and the Middle East dropped by 50 percent in the past week.
The Pacific Asia Travel Association also noted “sharp
drops” in tourism in Thailand and the Philippines.
To combat the decline, the Tourism Authority of Thailand will be
changing its target market in the United States, concentrating on “immigrants who
want to visit home,” said authority spokesman Paisan Wangsai.
“We will tell people how our domestic flight security measures
are some of the best in the world,” he said.
Americans traveling abroad are advised to check with the State
Department for travel advisories, available on the Web at: http://travel.state.gov
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