Koreans cancel Japan trips amid radiation fears

Cancellations of trips to Japan by Korean travelers are increasing after recent news reports of a massive radioactive water leak from the Fukushima nuclear plant in the country.

According to a local news report, 40-50 tourists of Mode Tour, one of Korea’s major travel agencies, cancelled their trips right after the news was broadcast. Some 200 customers of the company ultimately scrapped their plans to visit Japan, according to the report.

Also, Hanjin Travel reported 10-20 cancellations per day after the news report.

Another large travel agency, Hana Tour, saw a slight decrease in the numbers of tourists to Japan.

“Travel bookings to Japan decreased by a small margin (after the news reports about the leakage of radioactive water),” said Jung Ki-youn of the public relations team of Hana Tour.

“But there are not many. Of course, we get calls about whether it’s safe to travel in Japan, such as regarding food safety there. The travel programs we are operating are outside the regions affected by the earthquake,” he added.

In the wake of recent travel fears, the Seoul office of the Japan National Tourism Organization has posted a message on its website, insisting on the safety of travel in Japan.

“There’s no new accident that can become a threat to the safety of travelers in Japan,” wrote Jeong Yeon-beom, head of the office.

“We would like to say to those considering traveling in Japan that the safety in Japan hasn’t been downgraded because of the recent news reports, and we see many posts social networking sites that have questionable credibility,” he wrote.

Rumors of food and water having been contaminated with radiation are spreading fast online.

The JNTO also expressed concerns that the fear over the radiation leak may affect the autumn travel season.

International travelers to Japan dropped by 27.8 percent from about 8.6 million in 2010 to 6.2 million in 2011. But the number increased to about 8.3 million in 2012, according to statistics by the Japan National Tourism Organization.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)