Tourism facilities in earthquake-hit Ishikawa Prefecture are gearing up for more visitors following the success of government subsidies to attract tourists to the region.
Since March 8, the Japan Tourism Agency has offered discounted rates to domestic and international travellers in Ishikawa and neighbouring Toyama, Fukui and Niigata prefectures, whose tourism industries suffered due to the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck Ishikawa Prefecture’s Noto Peninsula on January 1.
The campaign offers 50 per cent discount per person on accommodation or a travel package, ranging from 20,000 yen (US$129) for accommodation only to 30,000 yen for a three-day-two-night package, as well as 35,000 yen for packages covering at least two of the four prefectures. It ended on April 26 due to Golden Week, a series of national holidays running from April 29 to May 5, but will restart on May 7 and run until July 31.
So far, the campaign has produced mixed results.
In Kanazawa, Kenrokuen, a nationally important garden and one of Ishikawa’s top attractions, welcomed 486,600 people during the cherry blossom period (April 5-14), an 8.6 per cent increase on the same period in 2023, according to the prefectural government’s tourism planning division.
The number of tourists visiting Yamanaka-za Theatre in Kaga, southern Ishikawa Prefecture, since the earthquake, however, is about 20 per cent fewer than over the same period in 2023, according to staff.
Still, tourism businesses are encouraged by progress and some plan to open during Golden Week for the first time since the earthquake. These include Aerial Observatory Sky Bird in Suzu City, and sightseeing boats in Shika, both on the Noto Peninsula.
“While many tourist areas remain significantly affected and still in the initial stages of reconstruction, those with less or no damage are keen to help support the region’s economic recovery,” said a Japanese government representative.
