Wave after wave of infections and a third state of emergency are pummeling hotels and travel agencies in Japan, decimating sales and leaving the tourism industry drowning in a sea of red ink.
According to the results of an online survey released Tuesday by the Japan Tourism Agency (JTA), more than 40% of respondents in the hotel business said reservations plummeted by over 70% between January and May this year compared with the same period in 2019.
Meanwhile, figures were even worse for travel agencies, with around 80% saying reservations have fallen by more than 70% during the same period compared with 2019.