The Japanese government has pledged to promote travel to Kyushu in response to the devastating losses incurred by its tourism industry following a magnitude-7.1 earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture on July 28.
Central eastern towns, including Uki and Hikawa, were hardest hit, though other parts of the prefecture and neighbouring areas also experienced strong or moderate shaking.
Damage to the buildings, equipment, and hot spring infrastructure of hotels and inns near the epicentre is estimated at four billion yen (US$25.1 million), according to the Kumamoto Prefectural Government. A further two billion yen in revenue shortfall due to cancellations by roughly 146,000 guests for trips this summer and autumn has been reported by Kumamoto’s tourism industry.
Roughly 60 per cent of the relinquished bookings were for accommodation in parts of the prefecture largely unaffected by the quake, including the popular Aso area, prompting Kumamoto Governor Takashi Kimura to urge people not to cancel trips based on fear or rumours.
Other Kyushu prefectures have also suffered cancellations. Kagoshima logged the highest number at 111,749, largely due to severed transport links and the popularity of joint Kumamoto-Kagoshima touring packages. Fukuoka followed with 28,000 cancellations, alongside Nagasaki (14,259), Miyazaki (11,357), Oita (7,810), and Saga (1,820).
With the Kyushu Shinkansen still suspended between Kumamoto and Shin-Minamata stations and operating on a limited schedule between Shin-Minamata and Kagoshima-Chuo stations, the tourism industry is bracing for further cancellations in the coming weeks.
The national government’s aid package is expected to be launched by the end of August, featuring a travel fee discount campaign for Kyushu, according to a government spokesperson.
