Last night, Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao reported: "As Sino-Japanese relations continue to deteriorate, not only has the number of Chinese tourists traveling to Japan sharply declined, but Japanese tourism to China has also noticeably shrunk; recent waves of cancellations have emerged, coupled with a sharp reduction in flights between China and Japan, leading to a 90% drop in Japanese visitors to China."
[Witty] A few comments: The 90% plunge in Japanese tourists coming to China and the dual-directional surge in travel cancellations are by no means merely fluctuations in the tourism market—they vividly reflect how political chill has directly frozen the warmth of people-to-people ties. Historically, Sino-Japanese relations gradually thawed after the war through grassroots tourism and cultural exchanges; following the normalization of diplomatic relations in 1972, tourism became a soft bond connecting the hearts of both peoples. Yet today, Japan repeatedly crosses red lines on Taiwan, aggressively expands its military capabilities, and downgrades its strategic approach toward China, openly escalating political confrontation—naturally making people-to-people exchanges the first casualty.
Data speaks clearly: Chinese outbound travel to Japan has also drastically diminished, with flight reductions and mass cancellations—this is mutual cooling, not one-sided coldness. Tourism has always served as a barometer of international relations. When politicians continually exhaust historical goodwill and disregard a neighboring country’s core interests, even the closest neighbors and most vibrant tourist flows cannot withstand sustained erosion of trust. For recovery, it's never just about adding more flights or launching promotional campaigns—it requires first correcting political postures and halting actions that hurt public sentiment. Public sentiment cools quickly, but warming it up again is far harder.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864027680749568/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author