Despite a superbug outbreak and the yen rising to historic highs, the travel industry remains optimistic about the number of tourists planning to visit Japan.
Data from the Travel Quality Assurance Association yesterday showed that the cost of group tours to most parts of Japan were expected to increase by between NT$1,000 and NT$3,000 compared with the same period last year, while tours to Hokkaido and northern regions of Japan could see increases of up to NT$5,000. Tour fees from October to the end of the year are also expected to be higher than in the summer.
The association attributed the price rises to higher airfares and the yen’s rise against other currencies. However, travel agencies said they still had a positive outlook on tourism to Japan, the most popular destination for Taiwanese, because the fall months are the perfect time to visit Japan.
Liao Pei-yan (廖培沅), vice general manager of South East Travel Service Co, said he wasn’t too worried about the superbug outbreak in Japan either.
“The superbug situation is limited to hospitals. There have been no infections outside of hospitals,” he said. “Tourists to Japan can still stick to their travel plans.”
Japan on Monday confirmed it had found the NDM-1 gene in bacteria affecting a man in his 50s. The patient had received medical care in India and returned to Japan to be hospitalized in April last year.
Tours to other parts of the world are also expected to show year-on-year price rises as well.
The largest increase of about NT$10,000 to NT$20,000 is expected for tours to the west coast of the US and Canada, mainly because of higher airfares. Tours to parts of China, including Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai, are likely to cost about NT$2,000 to NT$5,000 more, while tours to Southeast Asia are expected to rise by between NT$500 and NT$2,000 compared with the same period last year.
In the lead-up to the International Travel Fair in Taipei in November, the association cautioned consumers to look out for travel scams that may be disguised as low-priced tours.
Travelers are advised to use credit cards to pay for flight tickets and to read the terms and conditions of transactions carefully, said Jones Chen (陳屬庄), director of tourism disputes at the association.
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