Terror fears slow flow of Japanese tourists to Vegas

Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2001 | 10:50 a.m.

For years, the sight of a group of Japanese tourists following a tour guide along the Las Vegas Strip, through the malls and into the casinos has been as commonplace as cars in a parking lot.

But the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 dealt a huge psychological blow to a culture that can only be comfortable when absolutely safe and secure.

That cultural need for security is the main reason that Japanese tourists are staying away from Las Vegas, experts say, and the primary reason Japan Airlines is considering suspending nonstop service between Tokyo and Las Vegas for three months.

Executives with JAL in Tokyo still haven't announced their plans for the Las Vegas market, but most indications point to the airline cutting all flights between Narita International Airport and McCarran International until Feb. 1.

Irene Jackson, a spokeswoman for JAL in New York, said today a final decision still hasn't been reached. A local manager, however, said the last Las Vegas flight for the time being departed Tuesday.

A lack of demand is cited as the reason for the cuts, demand that fell abruptly after Sept. 11.

JAL announced "temporary frequency changes and route suspensions" on several routes earlier this month. A week ago, one flight between Tokyo and Las Vegas was trimmed, reducing the total from five to four a week. The airline made more cuts in routes between Tokyo and Honolulu, Los Angeles, Dallas and Sao Paulo, Brazil. It also cut flights between Osaka and Honolulu and Chicago and from Nagoya to Los Angeles.

An airline official confirmed that some flights to Las Vegas after Sept. 11 had only 25 to 30 people aboard a Boeing 747 capable of carrying 397 passengers.

"The Japanese have always been very cautious travelers," said Dave Christianson, an international tourism and convention expert at UNLV's College of Hotel Administration. "That's why you see many of them traveling together in groups. They want that security."

The feeling of security evaporated when terrorists hijacked and crashed four airliners. That act created enough fear to dissuade many people from traveling to the United States from Japan.

Ken Morimoto, station manager for JAL at McCarran, said the tragedy has been viewed in different ways by the Japanese people, but all of them result in fewer people flying to Las Vegas.

"Most of them can't believe anyone would have the audacity to attack the United States," Morimoto said. "Then they think, 'What next?"'

Some who were planning to vacation opted to stay closer to home for their holiday, he said. Others didn't feel it was appropriate to take a vacation.

"They say, 'It's improper for me to enjoy myself when everybody else is hurting,' " Morimoto said.

Morimoto, who has been with JAL since 1970 and has been stationed in Las Vegas for nearly three years, gave an example of the compassion felt by some of the Japanese people about the attack. A JAL flight attendant told a U.S. Customs officer at McCarran how sorry she was about the loss of life in New York and Washington.

"He was very moved by the fact that she cared so much about what had happened," Morimoto said. "I think that gives you an idea of how deep these feelings are."

Christianson said it's going to take time to restore confidence in travelers.

"Everybody's just nervous right now," he said. "Until we get some sense of confidence that the (Federal Aviation Administration) is doing its job, we won't really have that sense of security."

He also said technological advancements that will enable machines to detect a variety of substances, from explosives and chemicals to biological materials, will build confidence in the tourist. He said companies already have begun working quickly to develop products to get to the market.