Popular tourist spots ask visitors to stay home to contain COVID-19 outbreak

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Foreign visitors to Japan in March 2020 decreased by unprecedented 93% from the same month the year before. 
Japan Investment and Tourism

 Tourists from East Asian regions such as China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea have decreased significantly. 
Japan Investment and Tourism

 Recent business results of hotel industries, restaurant businesses and railway companies are all falling sharply due to the new coronavirus outbreak with business trips restrained and tourism businesses slowed, passengers decreased since the outbreak. 

 From now on, Japanese economy will be definitely hit further by COVID-19 outbreak as various tourist destinations have started calling for tourists to refrain from visiting during Golden Week, a stretch of Japanese public holidays from April 29 to May 6, to prevent the spread of infections.

Gassho zukuri in Shirakawa-go

For example, Shirakawa Village, Gifu Prefecture, where its Gassho style houses are registered as a World Heritage site and a well known tourist destination that attracts more than 2 million visitors every year, will close designated area as a World Heritage site and parking lots for tourists, stop bus services departing and arriving from closed area during holidays to prevent the spread of infection in the village.
Japan Investment and Tourism
Photo provided by Shirakawa village office

Tokaido Shinkansen, JR Central

JR Central, one of major Japanese railway companies based in Nagoya, has decided to reduce its lucrative Tokaido Shinkansen services connecting Tokyo and Osaka by 20% because passengers decreased by 59% in March 2020. 

 Business results for those industries for entire 2020 will be definitely dragged down heavily by decreasing visitors and passengers, cancellations of reservations at hotels and sales decline at various retail stores.

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