來來來 來台灣釣魚台

China now trying to scale back tourism to Japan

BY KOICHI FURUYA THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

2010/09/24

Osaka Castle is a popular sightseeing spot for Chinese tourists. (THE ASAHI SHIMBUN)

BEIJING--City authorities here, reacting to the row with Japan over the arrest of a Chinese trawler captain, have called on local travel agencies to refrain from aggressively selling and promoting tours to Japan.

The step appears to be a deliberate measure to express Beijing's displeasure with Tokyo.

Earlier, China shelved Cabinet-level contacts with Japan.

Japanese authorities arrested the Chinese trawler captain after he rammed two Japan Coast Guard vessels in waters off the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

The incident two weeks ago soured bilateral ties because both countries claim sovereignty over the islands, which Chinese call Diaoyutai.

According to several travel agencies, Beijing's municipal tourism authorities summoned representatives of dozens of tourist companies Tuesday night to request they be less assertive in promoting tours to Japan.

The request was made verbally, according to people who attended the meeting.

An official with a leading travel agency in Beijing said Wednesday that tours to Japan up to early October that have been already booked will go ahead as scheduled.

But the agency is not recommending tours after that because Japan-China relations remain so strained.

An official with another tour operator said, "We are recommending that people not go because of concern for their safety."

The Chinese government has not made an explicit announcement about travel restrictions to Japan.

China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular news conference Tuesday that Chinese tourists will choose to travel to destinations where they are safe and feel comfortable.

The call for voluntary restraints on travel came after Japan's new tourism minister, Sumio Mabuchi, announced Tuesday he was cancelling a meeting with Zhu Shanzhong, vice chairman of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), according to government sources.

Zhu was to pay a courtesy call on Mabuchi on the sidelines of a meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation tourism ministers in Nara on Wednesday and Thursday.

Mabuchi said he decided not to meet with Zhu after careful consideration, although he did not directly refer to the heightened tensions caused by the detention of the Chinese trawler captain.

Sources close to both governments said that Mabuchi's last-minute cancellation likely triggered the Chinese decision on tourism as Beijing was displeased with his decision.

China's delegation of 10 members, including Zhu, abruptly canceled their attendance at a reception hosted by Mabuchi on Wednesday night.

Representatives of neither country held talks during the APEC meeting, nor did Zhu attend a joint news conference after the conference finished.

Zhang Xilong, deputy director-general at the CNTA who attended the conference in place of Zhu, said, "There could be more serious fallout if Japan does not correct its mistake. We believe that bilateral relations are faced with a serious difficulty and we stick to our stand that Japan is solely responsible."

Zhang noted that the fallout is spilling over to tourism promotion between Japan and China.

Mabuchi said after the news conference, "As tourism minister, I will push for measures to spur tourism promotion with all countries, not just Japan-China tourism ties."

The latest development will likely cause headaches for the Japanese tourism industry, which was counting on an influx of Chinese travelers following the easing of visa restrictions on individual visitors from China in July.

For many Chinese, October is the season to go traveling, starting with a long vacation that includes China's National Day on Oct. 1.

An official with the Japan Association of Travel Agents said the fallout will hit the tourist industry hard.

"The number of Chinese travelers to Japan has finally reached the level it was before anti-Japan protests raged in China in 2005," said an official with the JATA. "Chinese travelers can give a much-needed boost to revitalize Japan's tourism industry. Cooling demand will hurt the industry."

Some 290,000 Chinese visited Japan in 1999. The figure exceeded 1 million in 2008.

About 165,100 Chinese tourists visited Japan in July, about 2.4 times the figure a year ago.

According to the Japan Tourism Agency, Chinese visitors spent an estimated 50.3 billion yen ($594 million) between April and June, accounting for 22 percent of the total spent by all foreign tourists to Japan.

The Mitsukoshi department store set up a counter for foreign tourists with four Chinese speaking staff at its Ginza outlet.

"We are hoping that Japan-China relations will return to normal as soon as possible," an official of the store said. "We want to see many Chinese shoppers to visit us."