Japanese media: Hokkaido may lose 200 billion yen in tourism in the first half of this year

The Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK) reported on the 6th that if the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic continues to expand, Hokkaido ’s tourism losses in the first half of this year may exceed 200 billion yen.

It is reported that as of March, the number of tourists in hotels and other accommodation facilities in Hokkaido's famous tourist attractions, such as Lake Toya and Shiretoko Peninsula, has plummeted compared to the same period last year, and the worst reduction has reached 80% to 90%. In addition, for hot spring resorts such as Noboribetsu, Sounkyo Gorge, Tangcheon, and Akan, hotels and guesthouses are closed one after another, and the situation is not optimistic. In this regard, Hokkaido expects that if the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic continues to expand, the number of tourists in Hokkaido from January to June this year will decrease by 6 million compared with the same period last year, and the tourism industry may lose more than 200 billion yen (about 13.1 billion yuan yuan).

In addition, according to reports, the Japanese government announced on the 5th that it will take emergency measures to quarantine Chinese and South Korean immigrants for two weeks, and temporarily cancel the visa effect from March 9 to the end of March. Tourism consumption may be further hit. In this regard, Hokkaido is discussing measures to assist small and medium-sized enterprises.

According to previous NHK reports, as the epidemic of new crown pneumonia continues to expand, Hokkaido Governor Suzuki Naoto has issued a "state of emergency" on the 28th of last month. As of 16:00 local time on March 6, there were 7 new confirmed cases in Hokkaido, with a total of 90 confirmed cases.