Travel Anxiety Over Manga Prophecy Impacts Japan’s Tourism
Japan’s tourism industry is grappling with significant challenges as a manga-inspired disaster prediction stirs widespread travel anxiety among Asian tourists. The manga, ‘The Future I Saw’ by Ryo Tatsuki, which allegedly foresaw the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, has ignited fears of another catastrophic event slated for July 5, 2025.
This unsettling prediction has triggered a sharp decline in flight bookings. Hong Kong Airlines has responded by cancelling all flights to the southern Japanese prefectures of Kagoshima and Kumamoto for July and August. Flight occupancy for routes to Tottori prefecture took a nosedive from 85% in April to a mere 43.3% in May, as reported by regional officials.
Despite the superstition-fueled cancellations, Japanese meteorological authorities have debunked the predictions as scientifically baseless, asserting that earthquakes cannot be forecasted with specific dates. Tourism officials are making concerted efforts to reassure travelers that Japan remains a safe destination, even though the repercussions on summer bookings continue to reverberate across the region.
Source: Reuters