Northern Kyushu faces growing trip cancellations after rain disaster

This makes no sense at all. Why would someone cancel a planned vacation because someplace nearby got flooded a week ago? Bizarre human behavior.

What did people expect? I think it is good tourists are staying away from a disaster area

What did people expect? I think it is good tourists are staying away from a disaster area

Sorry to say it but did u actually read the contents of the article? It says "Tourists appear to be shying away from famous resorts near the disaster-hit areas, such as the hot spring resorts of Beppu and Yufuin in Oita Prefecture and Kurokawa hot spring in Kumamoto Prefecture." Those areas are near the disaster area. Not the disaster area. They are OK for tourists to visit.

gogogo

Both Beppu and Yufuin are not in the disaster area. In fact, other than some serious rain, nothing untoward happened there. Tourists are shying away from perfectly good places. Like not going to Kyoto because Osaka had flooding.

I suppose gogogo just illustrates the point. People react without thinking. If it were my vacation, I would call to make sure things are OK. After the Kumamoto earthquake, onsen towns were very happy to see us. They were open for business, with no damage at all. Yet almost devoid of tourists during peak season, and hurting because of it.

Everybody was suffering financially because of knee-jerk cancellations. Some people get the double whammy. First the disaster hurts them, then the loss of business hurts them.

Actually, cancelling because of an earthquake makes more sense, because there may be aftershocks. But cancelling because of a flood that has come and gone?? People are too easily manipulated by the media, which always plays up the worst angle.

People are too easily manipulated by the media, which always plays up the worst angle.

Sometimes these do happen but not this time. You cannot do it to the location of a disaster. I do not live in Japan and do not speak Japanese but by watching the NHK 7 news (SBS Australia airs many overseas news programs). I know not perfectly but good enough where the disaster area is.

I think among those cancelling their bookings many are oversea tourists. They saw the news that Northern Kyushu is hit hard and do not even bothered to call or do a little online research. If they are Japanese then I am surprised how little geographic knowledge they have of their country.

I'm happy to hear that the Buppu area was not damaged to ruin the Onsen business. I was lucky enough to take a trip up from Okinawa right before I left the country a year ago, it was so nice, I made a SECOND trip. I'm looking forward to the next chance I get to travel to Japan and go to my next Onsen.

it is one of the best places in japan so only idiots would cancel. all japan is a disaster troubled land. i would be more worried about tokyo...

This is Japan. Not many people want to go enjoy time where tragedy occurred. Even it is not right next door.

Was in the Fukuoka Region last year just after the Kumamoto Quake - the plane flying in and out was nearly empty.

So... are we going to see some great prices? I'd go for the right price!

@yoshisan88: Yep read it, perhaps the hotel people should give their now "spare rooms" to the people that lost their homes and stop moaning they are not making any money.

the hotel people should give their now "spare rooms" to the people that lost their homes and stop moaning they are not making any money

This is a really good idea. Hopefully it happens. And for the hotel people who are moaning business loss. Last year the Kumamoto quake hit tourism in some Kyushu areas hard. Then the flood this year. I believe we can cut them some slack.

What did people expect? I think it is good tourists are staying away from a disaster area.

What did people expect? I think it is good tourists are staying away from a disaster area. I wanted to say, that the whole prefecture is not a disaster area, but the comment went through the wrong way above.