'Unscientific' Japan megaquake rumours spook Hong Kong tourists
HONG KONG: Unfounded online rumours warning that a huge earthquake will soon strike Japan are taking a toll on travel firms and airlines, with them reporting less demand from worried Hong Kongers.
People from Hong Kong made nearly 2.7 million trips to Japan in 2024.
Although it is impossible to know exactly when earthquakes will hit, fear-inducing predictions have spread widely among the city's residents.
Some false posts cite a Japanese manga comic, republished in 2021, which predicts a major natural disaster in July 2025, based on the author's dream.
Other posts give different dates, while a Facebook group that claims to predict disasters in Japan has over a quarter of a million members, mainly in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
"The earthquake prophecy has absolutely caused a big change to our customers' preferences," said Frankie Chow, head of Hong Kong travel agency CLS Holiday.
Chow told AFP that in March and April his company received 70 to 80 per cent fewer inquiries about travelling to Japan than last year.
"I've never experienced this before," said Chow, who also runs the booking website Flyagain.la.
While some people changed their destination, others "did not dare to travel", he said.
Mild to moderate earthquakes are common in Japan, where strict building codes minimise damage, even from larger shakes.
But the nation is no stranger to major disasters, including in 2011 when a magnitude-9.0 quake triggered a tsunami that left 18,500 people dead or missing and caused a devastating meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.
"MEGAQUAKE" WARNING
Last month, Tokyo's Cabinet Office said on social media platform X: "Predicting earthquakes by date, time and place is not possible based on current scientific knowledge."
A Cabinet Office official told AFP that the X post was part of its usual information-sharing about earthquakes.
But Japan's Asahi Shimbun daily reported that it was responding to prophecies that sprang up online after a Japanese government panel in January released a new estimate for the probability of a "megaquake".
The panel said the chance of a massive earthquake along the undersea Nankai Trough south of Japan in the next three decades had marginally increased to 75 to 82 per cent.
This was followed by a new damage estimate in March from the Cabinet Office, which said a Nankai Trough megaquake and tsunami could cause 298,000 deaths in Japan.
Despite being a routine update of a previous 2014 figure, the estimate appears to have fanned tourists' fears.
A YouTube video featuring a feng shui master urging viewers not to visit Japan, published by local media outlet HK01, has been viewed more than 100,000 times.
Don Hon, one of Hong Kong's 7.5 million residents, does not entirely believe the online claims, but has still been influenced by them.
"I will just take it as a precaution, and won't make any particular plans to travel to Japan," the 32-year-old social worker said.
And if a friend were to ask him to visit Japan in July, Hon "might suggest going somewhere else".
"NO REASON TO WORRY"
Hong Kong-based Greater Bay Airlines has reduced flights to Japan's southern Tokushima region, a local tourism official told AFP.
"The company told us demand has rapidly decreased amid rumours there will be a big quake and tsunami in Japan this summer," she said.
"Three scheduled weekly round-trip flights will be reduced to two round-trips per week from May 12 to Oct 25."
The airline is also reducing its flights to Sendai in the northern region of Miyagi.
"There's no reason to worry," Miyagi's governor Yoshihiro Murai reassured travellers, adding that Japanese people are not fleeing.
But "if unscientific rumours on social media are impacting tourism, that would be a major problem", he said last month.
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, the number of Hong Kong visitors in March stood at 208,400 - down nearly 10 per cent year-on-year.
However, this decline was partly due to the Easter holidays starting in mid-April this year, instead of March, they said.
Hong Kong-based EGL Tours has not seen a massive decline in customers travelling to Japan, its executive director Steve Huen Kwok-chuen said.
But recent bookings at its two hotels in Japan show fewer from Hong Kong guests, while the number from other global destinations remains stable.
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Plan your Osaka Expo 2025 visit: 14 must-see pavilions, things to do and top tips
If you are headed to Osaka soon, you'll want to add visiting Expo 2025 to your itinerary. World Expos are large-scale international events held every five years in a different country, bringing together nations to showcase innovations, culture, and ideas on a global stage. Expo 2025 – officially titled Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan – is the latest edition of this historic series, running until Oct 13, with the theme 'Designing Future Society for Our Lives'. With over 160 countries, regions and international organisations showcasing their latest technologies and unique cultures in specially designed pavilions, think of Expo 2025 as the place to not only find inspiration for your next travel destination but to see what the future might hold, under one roof. Or in this case, under the Grand Ring, the architectural centerpiece and symbol of Expo 2025. 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Looking to lure holidaymakers who are looking for discreet luxury and privacy (Australian Miss Universe 2004 Jennifer Hawkins was here), the beachfront resort features only 11 lodges — or beach camps to be precise — made of recycled wood and bamboo, shaded by alang-alang roofs, handsomely designed as a creative interpretation of local barn. For maximum solitude, opt for the Solas lodge located at the corner of the complex, right under the hill, overlooking the narrow Alas Strait separating Lombok from Sumbawa. KALIMAYA DIVE RESORT, SAPE Opening Indonesia's diving map, you would probably not discover Sape in the eastern part of Bima. Most people come here to see the famous traditional horse race instead of fishes and corals. But things have changed since 2016 when Kalimaya opened on its shore and put this obscure region on the world's diving radars. The beachfront resort has seven rustic bungalows made of teak and mahogany woods, sheltered by alang-alang roof. The restaurant is connected to an infinity pool, facing the sea and Komodo island on the horizon. Run by divers and dedicated to divers, Kalimaya has a dive centre that regularly organises a tour exploring the surrounding underwaters (there are 40 dive spots in the area), including a visit to the Sangeang Island, an infamous market zone for pirates in the olden days but now a popular transit point for luxury cruises sailing from Bali to Flores. Kalimaya will require some effort to get to but it promises a memorable off-the-beaten-track experience. KURA KURA RESORT, KARIMUNJAWA Some dubbed it 'Maldives with no tourism.' Not entirely true, of course. Karimunjawa, an archipelago of 27 islands in the Java Sea, is a popular holiday destination for locals, and has long been on the transit map of the Sail Indonesia event. However, as there is only one five-star international resort, it still has more fishes and coconut trees than beach goers. Founded in 1999 by a Swedish hotelier, Kura Kura Resort was instrumental in putting Karimunjawa on the global tourists' radar. It started with five humble cottages, and now there are 15 of them, plus additional 19 well-appointed pool villas under the new management. Island hopping and scuba diving are the two main activities on offer. Out of the 27 islands in Karimunjawa, only five are inhabited, while the rest are protected as part of the national park. For an ultimate island getaway, consider the Cast Away package where you can go to a separate small island and stay at a cottage without electricity. Weather-wise, a good time to visit is between April and June, while the best season is between September and October where you might encounter whale sharks. LELEWATU, SUMBA Initially only attracting affluent surfers and anthropologists, Sumba Island, famously known for its megalithic culture, strong waves and annual equestrian war games of Pasola, has become a new luxury hotspot for holidaymakers. More and more resorts are opening here, including Lelewatu, which is located on a handsome cliff facing the Indian Ocean in the southwest part of the island. Designed by Popo Danes Architect, the celebrated firm behind some of Bali's most iconic properties, including Hanging Gardens and Kaba Kaba Estate, Lelewatu features 27 one-to-four-bedroom villas. The design inspiration comes from the Sumbanese vernacular houses of uma mbatangu. In between the towering, thatched roofs and wooden decks, each villa features a private pool with interior beautifully decorated by local crafts. Bokosawu, the only restaurant in the resort, serves in-house guests only, while the Maraga Spa offers rare Sumba-inspired treatments. MESASTILA, MAGELANG Nestled in the middle of Dutch colonial coffee plantation in Java highland, in between the majestic Borobudur temple and the bustling Central Java capital city of Semarang, MesaStila is a hidden sanctuary that dedicates itself to rejuvenate your mind and body. It has more than 40 different weekly wellness activities to choose from, from yoga to cycling to therapy packages designed to deal with different types of urban syndromes, including sleeping and eating disorders. The resort's kitchen team is well equipped to tailor each therapy with the appropriate daily nutrition plan. (While delivering healthy meals or jamu to your villa, the butler will wait patiently to make sure you consume all the prescribed menu in the programme.) Make sure to check the authentic Turkish hammam, which offers steam bathing, body mask, and traditional massage. MesaStila, a massive 22-hectare resort, was opened as Losari Coffee Plantation by an Italian couple. It changed its name in 2011 under the new owner. The heritage coffee plantation is still producing beans, and there's a unique way to visit it: Ride a horse and stop at a rustic stall to sip a hot cup of joe while chewing on locally produced brown sugar. SUDAMALA SERAYA, FLORES Seraya Kecil checks all the boxes of a perfect island in Flores: Short sabana hill, white powder sandy beach, turquoise sea, and mesmerising corals housing colourful fishes and baby sharks. In 2018, a charming rustic resort run by a local chain well-known for its good taste of amenities and exemplar services opened on the island. Located in the north part of Labuan Bajo, away from the crowd and busy marina, Sudamala Seraya is a quiet base to explore the Komodo National Park. The resort's 23 stilt white bungalows blend nicely with the landscape. The largest category, Seraya Panorama Villa, has two-bedroom, a plunge pool and a private deck with 270-degree views of the ocean. The room rate includes various activities, including kayaking and snorkelling. In the afternoon, guests can hike at the lovely hill behind the resort to enjoy a beautiful sunset in the 'Jurassic Park' of Indonesia.
