Japanese tourists hope to say 'Aloha' again after Hawaii listed as safe destination
The first time Takako Tomura visited Hawaii, she was a high school student. It was love at first sight. Now a 40-year-old housewife, she says she has visited Hawaii at least 40 times.
For many Japanese, Hawaii is the epitome of a Pacific island paradise. Tomura loves relaxing on the beach, and enjoys shopping and dining out. She can't wait to get back - and she may not have to wait much longer, after Hawaii was this week deemed a safe destination by the Japanese government, offering a potential shot in the arm to a travel industry devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.
"It was the first place I visited outside Japan and that makes it even more special to me," she said. "We had been planning a trip this spring but it had to be cancelled because of the virus. But I really hope the reports I have seen on the news that it will be one of the first places we can travel [after the international ban is lifted] are true."
Hawaii, which is about eight hours' flight from Japan, was listed alongside Brunei, Cambodia, mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. Additional destinations are expected to be added in coming months, primarily in Europe, but Hawaii is the only US location included so far.
No timetable has been confirmed and officials in both Japan and Hawaii have emphasised public health concerns will be paramount in determining when restrictions are lifted.
"On behalf of the state of Hawaii, we are honoured Prime Minister [Shinzo] Abe and Japan's policymakers are considering Hawaii for resuming safe and responsible international travel," Hawaii Governor David Ige said.
"Japan and Hawaii enjoy long-standing cultural ties and a deep-rooted friendship that has enriched the lives of many generations. It is important that we restore travel between Japan and Hawaii and we see this programme as a way to make this possible, while also preventing the further spread of infections from Covid-19."
Hawaii has reported 1,865 coronavirus cases and 26 casualties, the lowest numbers per capita of any US state. Three Hawaiian islands - Maui, Kauai and the Big Island - are considering "resort bubbles" that would permit visitors to quarantine for 14 days in resort properties.
Japanese travel agencies are eager for Hawaii to reopen. According to Ashley Harvey, general manager of destination management firm Aviareps Japan, the Pacific islands have long been a "cash cow" for Japan's travel sector. Hawaii welcomed 1.5 million Japanese travellers last year and about 700,000 Japanese visit Guam annually, he said. Guam was not included on the list of safe destinations but lawmakers there plan to lobby Japanese authorities to reopen travel routes.
"The Japanese travel industry has put a lot of effort into making sure Japanese tourists feel comfortable and safe when they travel to these destinations, and it has been that way for a long time," Harvey said.
"Japanese like to feel like they are going to a foreign country but one where they do not have to worry about anything because all the staff they are going to come into contact with will speak the language, the signs and menus are going to be in Japanese and they can feel completely safe."
To that end, customers may need to be reassured about the health risks but Harvey said that message was being prepared and "as soon as the first trips are purchased and people are convinced it is safe, it will be very easy to get more people on board".
Kaori Mori, a spokeswoman for domestic travel giant JTB, said the company anticipates a spike in demand for flights to Hawaii once the Japanese government gives the all-clear.
"Hawaii has always been popular with Japanese travellers because it's on TV so much here and it has a fantastic reputation," she said. "If people want to travel, the majority of them will say they want to go to Hawaii."
The Japanese travel industry's optimism was not, however, reflected in a recent study by Blackbox Research that showed just 32 per cent of Japanese respondents were confident they would be able to travel anywhere overseas in the next year, the lowest figure of any nationality.
The same percentage said they anticipated being able to travel to a long-haul destination.
According to the report - titled "Unravel Travel: Fear and Possibilities in a Post-Coronavirus World" - some 48 per cent said they would contemplate an overseas trip closer to home, while 76 per cent say they would travel within Japan.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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