Chinese tourists drive Japan's winter sports recovery

As Japan’s winter-sports season approaches, the latest numbers on incoming travelers indicate that many resorts are doing far better than expected, driven in large part by Chinese tourists.

With some Fukushima ski spots reporting winter bookings at a surprisingly healthy 70 percent of 2010 levels, overall government figures show the number of incoming visitors from China is already back at pre-quake levels.

Neighborly concern

After falling by half in the month after the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown, the Chinese tourist flow had returned to 2010 parity by October, emphasizing the importance to Japan of its largest neighbor.

That month’s visitors from both Hong Kong and Taiwan were actually up on the year -- by 17 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively, said the Japan National Tourism Organization.

Looking ahead, the combined predictions for all visitors to Japan suggest a return to previous levels by March next year, thanks to the enduring draw of parts of the country not hit by the disasters.

“People realize places like Tokyo, Kyoto, Hokkaido and Okinawa are safe,” said Professor Fuyuhiko Usui at the Center for Advanced Tourism Studies at Hokkaido University.

Alternative view

However, it’s not all unicorns and double rainbows -- the global economy is a factor for some analysts.

“I don’t see why people are so optimistic about inbound tourism,” said Michio Kitamura of Nomura Research Institute. “With the uncertainty of the world economy at the moment, people are pessimistic for consumption.”

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