Fourth JAL flight canceled, concerns over war blamed

Thursday, April 3, 2003 | 11:13 a.m.

A Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority representative in Japan says the mysterious disease spreading through China is keeping some Japanese citizens from international travel, but the recent cancellations of Japan Airlines flights to Las Vegas were most likely the result of Iraqi war jitters.

Kyosuke Okada, president of Okada Associates in Tokyo, the LVCVA's tourism representative in Japan, said Wednesday many Japanese citizens won't travel to Hong Kong and China, where the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has spread rapidly. But he doesn't think the spread of SARS is preventing Japanese tourists from coming to Las Vegas and the United States.

But Okada said if the Japanese foreign ministry issues a travel warning naming the United States, visitation could slow to a trickle.

Following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Japanese government recommended against travel to the United States and tourism from that nation fell off by about 40 percent. The lack of demand for plane seats led to JAL suspending flights between Tokyo and Las Vegas for six months.

"So far, the USA is unaffected for inbound traffic because there have been no deaths reported," Okada said. "There have been some deaths reported in Canada, so the government may consider suspending travel there. The World Health Organization already has recommended against trips to Hong Kong and Guangdong province (in China)."

No SARS cases have been reported in Nevada.

The LVCVA, meanwhile, hasn't taken any public relations or advertising countermeasures against the disease that is spreading fear among travelers with every new case reported worldwide.

Terry Jicinsky, vice president of marketing for the LVCVA, which advertises the Las Vegas destination with revenues generated by room taxes, said there have been no changes in advertising or crisis communications associated with SARS.

"We look at each day and each event as it comes along," Jicinsky said Wednesday.

Japan Airlines, which offers three nonstop round-trip flights a week between Tokyo and Las Vegas, on Wednesday confirmed that it had canceled flights scheduled April 18, 20 and 22 because of a drop in demand brought about by the scrapping of trips by large groups booked on those flights. JAL later Wednesday canceled a fourth round trip that had been scheduled April 13. A spokeswoman for the airline would not speculate why the groups canceled or whether the SARS disease or the war in Iraq played a role.

But Okada said he is certain it was over concern by tourists for their safety while the United States is at war with Iraq.

Singapore Airlines, the other company with nonstop trips between Las Vegas and Asia -- three flights a week to and from Hong Kong -- already announced that it plans a two-month suspension of Las Vegas service beginning next week because of low demand brought upon by war jitters.

The LVCVA canceled its Las Vegas television advertising promotions for a week at the beginning of the war March 19, but quickly restarted its "Vegas Stories" ad campaign after the so-called "CNN effect" of potential visitors glued to their television sets wore off.

The disease outbreak has led to the scrapping of a convention in Hong Kong that was to be attended by eight Nevada companies accompanying officials with the Nevada Commission on Economic Development.

Al Di Stefano, director of global trade and investment for the Nevada commission, said he has canceled a trip to attend HoFex -- the Hong Kong Food Exhibition, a trade show that was expected to attract 28,000 people from 70 countries later this month. Di Stefano said that after the show, he was going to accompany four of the Nevada companies to planned meetings in mainland China.

"We think this was only a postponement of the show, not a cancellation," said Di Stefano, who would not say what Nevada companies were planning to accompany him. "The show only meets every other year, so it's pretty important that they eventually have it."

The Commission on Economic Development and the Nevada Commission on Tourism have a joint trade mission to be led by Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt in late June in Asia and Di Stefano said so far, that is still on the calendar.

"Representatives of the two commissions met with the lieutenant governor (Tuesday) and discussed options," Di Stefano said. "We may have to make some adjustments and certainly everything is subject to change. But that's three months out from now, so right now, we're planning to go ahead with it. Of course, we'll change it if we get a quarantine notice or airports are closed."

The U.S. State Department is recommending against nonessential travel to Hong Kong, Vietnam and parts of China because of the SARS outbreak and is allowing government personnel to leave their respective countries if they feel endangered by the disease.