By Shelley Shan /
Staff Reporter
Travel agents arranging tours to Japan should warn tourists about potential bear attacks when doing outdoor activities, the Tourism Administration said yesterday.
The nation’s tourism authority issued the notice to the travel agencies nationwide, reminding them to inform their clients about bear danger before leaving for Japan if the itineraries include outdoor activities in the mountainous areas. They must teach travelers how to protect themselves from bears.
The agencies must be ready to change itineraries if necessary, the administration said.
Photo: Reuters
About 230 people were attacked by bears from April to November last year, killing 13 people, according to statistics from the Japanese Ministry of the
Environment last month.
Even in winter, bear attacks were reported near popular tourist attractions in Japan.
Article 50-4 of Regulations Governing Travel Agencies (旅行業管理規則) and Article 39-1 of Regulations Governing Tour Managers (領隊人員管理規則) stipulate that service personnel sent by travel agencies, including tour guides and tour group leaders, are responsible for the safety of tourists during the trips, the Tourism Administration said.
Travel Quality Assurance Association’s public relations director Ringo Lee (李奇嶽) said Taiwanese traveling to Japan on group tours typically visit popular tourist attractions and are less likely to encounter bears during their trips.
Tour guides and tour bus drivers have been instructed to be alert, Lee said.
Goodday Tours general manager Aron Huang (黃清?) said that chances of bear attacks are lower in winter, as bears are in hibernation.
Reports of bear attacks do not seem to have dampened Taiwanese interest in visiting Japan, he said, adding that travel agencies are seeing a 10 to 20 percent increase in bookings for tours there during the Lunar New Year holiday.
AloJapan.com