Natural disasters can wreak havoc on a place’s citizens, governments, and economy. They can also disrupt the tourism industry, which in many cases is the lifeblood of a region.
Few natural disasters generated as much international attention as the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck 130 km from Sendai City, in Miyagi Prefecture, on the island’s east coast. Honshu (the main part of Japan). It ruptured the seabed and shoreline and caused a tsunami that claimed 19,000 lives.
It also caused a major nuclear incident. Four nuclear power plants were operating at the time of the earthquake. While all survived the quake, the tsunami caused significant damage to the Fukushima Dalichi facility. The cooling units flooded, disabling the normal spent fuel rod removal process. The disaster resulted in the evacuation of the neighborhood. He also endangered the lives of first responders and many Fukushima employees.
The effect on global tourism
The global tourism industry has closely monitored the lasting effects of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear reactor problems.
In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, the US State Department issued an advisory for Americans not to travel to Japan unless absolutely necessary. That has since decreased.
When the country suffers a national crisis, the Japanese feel a sense of responsibility towards their country and decline to travel outside the country. This cultural characteristic, along with practical reasons for staying in the country, helped mitigate the decline in tourism to Japan just after the earthquake.
Japanese tourists to the United States are among the world’s top visitors. Tourism to Hawaii includes nearly 20 percent from Japan. Not surprisingly, Hawaii lost a significant amount of tourism dollars in the aftermath of the earthquake.
Hawaii also suffered from the tsunami waves that hit the islands as a result of the earthquake. The Four Seasons Hualalai and Kona Village Resort on the island of Hawaii were temporarily closed after the tsunami. Maui and Oahu also suffered road and shore damage from waves. The Pride of America cruise ship also canceled calls to Kailua-Kona for a time.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) noted that premium air travel after the earthquake. The Japanese market represents six to seven percent of global premium travelers.
Other countries that experienced loss of tourism income and financial income include:
- Thailand travels to and from Japan.
- Travel from India to Japan for business purposes declined for automobile and engineering companies. Japan recently introduced multiple entry visas for Indians with US visas, among other marketing and tourism promotions designed to win Indian tourism business.
- New Zealand was significantly affected, as Japan is its fourth largest trading partner. New Zealand exports many products, including aluminum and fish, to Japan.
- Queensland, Australia also suffered from the natural disaster. They experienced a 12 percent increase in Japanese tourists in the year before the earthquake. Japan is the fifth largest group of incoming tourists to Australia.
- Nepal tourism also suffered a decline, as many Japanese canceled their trips.
- Indonesia also experienced fewer tourists to and from Japan.
Many other countries also suffered from tourism and other economic repercussions from the Japan earthquake, tsunami, and general devastation.
Recovery tourism
In the years since the earthquake, the three worst-hit Tohoku prefectures – Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima – have come up with an economic growth strategy. It’s called “recovery tourism” and it features tours of disaster-affected areas.
Tours serve a dual purpose. Its goal is to remind people of the disaster and also raise awareness of recovery efforts in the region.
The coastal regions have not yet recovered. But that is expected to change, thanks to the participation of private companies and government agencies.
