On the 7th, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made the sensitive statement 'A Taiwan emergency is also a Japanese emergency' during a House of Representatives debate, which quickly triggered a strong backlash from Beijing and led to rapidly cooling Sino-Japanese relations. The diplomatic chill has also swept over Japan's tourism industry—since the 16th, a well-known hotel in Gamagori City, Aichi Prefecture, has been receiving a flurry of cancellations from Chinese tour groups, with the severity of the situation described as unprecedented.
● Hotel Manager: Worse Yet, They Are Demanding Waived Cancellation Fees
According to Chubu Nippon Broadcasting (CBC), hotel manager Keiko Takeuchi revealed that since the 16th, Chinese travel agencies have been contacting the hotel to cancel bookings one after another: 'Just in November alone, 28 tour groups cancelled, involving about 1,000 guests. Almost all remaining bookings for this year have been cancelled.' She stated the reason was clear: 'It's due to the political situation.'
Takeuchi pointed out that about half of the hotel's customers are from China, and there are prominent Chinese-language signs throughout the hotel. She admitted that although she had experienced a wave of cancellations after Japan's 'nationalization' of the Diaoyu Islands in 2012, this situation is extraordinary: 'I've never had a case where the final guest list was submitted and then suddenly cancelled. Even worse, they're demanding waivers of the cancellation fees.' She described the hotel as facing immense pressure and uncertainty.
The report states that travel agencies are citing a 'Chinese government directive for citizens to avoid traveling to Japan' as the reason they hope to have the cancellation fees waived. Takeuchi expressed that there is no end in sight to the cancellation wave at present, 'The outlook can only be described as very bleak. This doesn't just affect our hotel—it's impacting the entire region's tourism industry.'
The report also notes that the real test for Japan's tourism industry will come during next February's Chinese New Year rush: 'Accommodation demand during that period is two to three times the usual level, and if there are mass cancellations, the impact will be unavoidable.'