According to reports from the Japan New Overseas Chinese News Network, after the start of the new year, the eastern and northeastern regions of Japan have been hit by continuous heavy snowfall, marking the arrival of the peak skiing season. In previous years during this time, large numbers of Chinese tourists would flock to Niigata Prefecture to enjoy skiing. However, this year, the situation has changed dramatically.
Due to worsening bilateral relations over territorial disputes, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Niigata Prefecture for sightseeing and skiing has dropped significantly since winter last year. The Yuzawa Town Tourism Association in the Echigo region reported that the number of Chinese visitors to local ski resorts in December last year decreased by 20% compared to the same period the previous year. As of March this year, group bookings from Chinese tourists have been almost zero.
It is reported that the area began cooperating with Chinese travel agencies many years ago, receiving numerous ski tour groups from China every year. A person in charge of the association stated that just as the ski tourism business was thriving, the cooling of China-Japan relations has caused significant economic losses to the local area. They hope the Japanese government will make efforts to repair bilateral relations as soon as possible.
On the other hand, in Niigata Prefecture’s Minamiuonuma City, many people in the skiing and hotel industries share the same concerns. One hotel operator noted that in previous years, foreign tourists visiting Minamiuonuma for skiing were mainly from Europe, America, and Australia, with not many Chinese. But in the past two years, as domestic Japanese tourists decreased, there was a significant upward trend in Chinese visitors. However, this momentum had just begun when it was halted due to the deterioration in bilateral relations.
The decline in Chinese tourists is undoubtedly closely linked to the cooling of China-Japan relations. However, interviews revealed that an over-reliance on Chinese group tourists across various regions in Japan, including Niigata Prefecture, has led to an imbalanced visitor structure, which is also a main reason why the Japanese tourism industry has suffered this winter.
Hiroyoshi Imai, Director of the International Tourism Division at the Niigata Prefecture Tourism Bureau, stated that the prefecture’s Chinese tourists mainly come through domestic Chinese travel agencies. After the cooling of China-Japan relations, they proactively strengthened cooperation with the Chinese government and various local travel agencies. In December last year, they invited heads of travel agencies from Shanghai, Nanjing, and Jiangsu to visit Niigata for inspection. Additionally, they have been broadcasting a few minutes of promotional content about Niigata Prefecture on a radio station in Shanghai every morning and evening.
Although the Niigata Prefecture government is making a series of efforts, it is clear that these measures are premised on an improvement in China-Japan relations. If bilateral relations remain stagnant or continue to worsen in the long term, there will be no overall increase in Chinese tourists visiting Japan, and naturally, the number of Chinese tourists coming to Niigata Prefecture will not rise.
Currently, the number of Chinese people studying and living in Japan has reached nearly one million. How to develop this tourism market may be an urgent priority for local prefectures in Japan to improve their tourism situation. However, taking skiing as an example, most Chinese residents in Japan are not very familiar with it, and some who join bus tours also face language and communication challenges.
Regarding whether the tourism structure should be adjusted in the future to attract more Chinese residents in Japan to ski in Niigata and reduce reliance on tourists from China, Imai stated that there are currently no policies or specific measures in place. In the future, they may strengthen language and service support for Chinese travelers in Japan.
Although the current number of Chinese tourists visiting Japan has decreased by about 20%, it can also be seen as an opportunity for various regions in Japan to explore the Chinese resident travel market. How to create tourism products tailored to the characteristics of Chinese residents in Japan and encourage them to participate in sports like skiing—which have low recognition in China—is an urgent task for local Japanese tourism bureaus.