Japan pays Chinese travelers to tour Fukushima

Source: CNN Go By Raemin Zhang It sounds unbelieveable, but it's true. Chinese travelers who visit Japan's Fukushima, Iwate and Miyagi prefectures in June will get discounted prices and receive considerable refunds from the Fukushima prefectual government and All Nippon Airways (ANA), according to the East Morning Post (link in Chinese only). Fukushima, Iwate and Miyagi were among those places hardest hit by last year's East Japan earthquake, and ensuing meltdowns at Fukushima's Daiichi nuclear plant. The discounts and refunds are available to Chinese visitors only, according to the Post story. Almost half-off "All [Chinese] visitors who stay in a local hotel, visit two scenic spots in Fukushima and answer a poll of five questions can get a refund of RMB 400 (US$63) after they've returned home," the Post quotes Kokubun Kenji, chief representative of the Fukushima Prefectural Government Shanghai Office. "Those who are willing to share their photos of Fukushima will get another bonus of RMB 400," Kokubun added. Opened in 2004, the Shanghai office is the first overseas branch office of the Fukushima Prefectural Government. Its aim is to attract Chinese tourists to the prefecture. "ANA and Fukushima Prefectural Government both have agreed to give [Chinese] visitors a substantial discount and a certain amount of financial subsidies," said Sun Zhan (孙展), manager of the Japan and Korea Department, Shanghai CYTS (China Youth Tour Service) Tours Cooperation, a major tour coordinator in Shanghai. Excluding fuel taxes and visa fees, the price of a five-day, four-night package to Fukushima and Tokyo will start from RMB 3,000 ($474). That's about RMB 2,500 ($400) cheaper than the normal price during spring and summer. According to Kokubun, more refund and incentive policies for Chinese travelers will be announced in the near future. Chinese tourists prop up Japanese inbound-travel market Fukushima's tourism industry has suffered greatly since the March 2011 disasters. Nearly 90 percent of overseas tourists have vanished, almost certainly due to fears over nuclear radiation. Statistics show, however, that Chinese visitors have played a key role in bringing some Japanese tourist markets back to life. According to a recent report from China's Xinhua News Agency, between October 2011 and January 2012, mainland Chinese visitors to Japan increased 26.7 percent, and Hong Kong vistors to Japan increased 21 percent, over the same period from the previous year. Among Fukushima's 20,190 overseas visitors in 2011, 3,150 were from mainland China. Meanwhile, Fukushima tourist arrivals from South Korea and the United States have decreased by 32.3 percent and 8 percent, respectively. from China Travel & Tourism News http://www.chinatraveltourismnews.com/

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