Earthquake rumors unsettle Japan: Tourism collapses!

Earthquake rumors unsettle Japan: Tourism collapses!

Japan - Japan's tourism sector faces a serious challenge. Despite overall positive growth in 2023, reinforced by a weak yen, the number of visitors from important markets such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea decreased. The reason for this decline is rumors about an upcoming earthquake that has spread through a viral manga. In particular, the prediction of an earthquake in July 2023 from the comic "The Future I Saw" by Ryo Tatsuki unsettled travelers.

This prediction presented by the artist Ryo Tatzuki, which was built in 1999 and was published again in 2021, has spread rapidly through social media. The relevance of the rumors can be seen in the drastic declines of the flight bookings. According to reports from Viet Nam , the number of bookings from Hong Kong went back by 50 % compared to the previous year, with bookings for the period to early July even 83 % in the end of July were.

official reactions and scientific assessments

The governor of Miyagi, Yoshihiro Murai, has expressed his concern about the negative effects of these rumors on tourism. At the same time, the Japanese weather authority emphasizes that the exact time of an earthquake cannot be predicted and warned of the spread of unconfirmed information. An assessment of the Japanese government's earthquake tenskforce predicts an 80 % probability of a severe earthquake in the Nankai trench over the next 30 years.
In view of this Situation, analyst eric zhu warned that rumors could also unsettle further travelers such as Cathay Pacific, since 20 % of their autumn seats reserved for Japan are.

In addition to uncertainty by the manga, the Chinese embassy in Tokyo has expressed its own concerns about possible earthquakes in summer. A warning was published on April 14 that asked Chinese citizens to take precautionary measures against natural disasters. This warning fell in time with a report by the Japanese government on the threat of a large earthquake in the Nankai trough.

influence on tourism

The present information and development have a significant impact on the Japanese tourism sector. The concerns about a possible earthquake have already led to some travelers canceled their plans. In particular, it is expected that the uncertainty will have an effect beyond the forecast time. The artist Ryo Tatuki emphasized that her intention was not to trigger panic, but to focus on the importance of preparing for natural disasters.

After the dramatic declines of the bookings, the Japanese tourism sector could be forced to take measures to regain the trust of travelers and to stabilize the number of visitors.