2024-08-14 03:35:50
The possibility of a “mega-earthquake” in Japan has led to thousands of cancellations at hotels located in high-risk zones, hitting the tourism sector in the middle of the summer season, tourism professionals said today.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a warning last Thursday after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake that injured 15 people in the southern part of the country.
“The probability of a new strong earthquake occurring is higher than under normal conditions, but this does not mean that an earthquake is certain to occur,” according to the agency.
The JMA warning concerns the “subduction zone” in the Nankai Trench, located between two tectonic plates of the Pacific Ocean, where strong earthquakes of magnitude 8 or 9 have been produced in the past every one or two centuries.
At least 9,400 cancellations
In west Kosi, one of the areas that could be hardest hit, at least 9,400 people canceled their hotel reservations after the warning, the local hotel industry federation said.
Cancellations for the period August 9-18 are equivalent with losses amounting to 140 million yen (approximately 868,500 euros), Susumu Nishitami, an industry representative, told AFP.
The quake warning coincides with the annual holiday, during which many Japanese return to their families and visit their hometowns.
“Normally, all the hotels and inns in our city would be full at this time of year,” Nisitani noted.
The warning is expected to be lifted on Thursday if no abnormal seismic activity is recorded, broadcast local media.
“We hold out a small hope that we will see new bookings slowly come in once the warning is lifted,” Nisitani said.
Source: AMPE