2 leading Hong Kong travel agents cancel or divert planned trips to Japan’s earthquake-hit Ishikawa
- Travel agencies WWPKG and EGL Tours say customers will be allowed to change plans
- City authorities say they have received more than a dozen requests for help from Hongkongers in quake-hit areas
At least two of Hong Kong’s largest travel agencies have cancelled or diverted planned tours to the Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa in the wake of a powerful earthquake, while city authorities have said they received more than a dozen requests for help from Hongkongers in quake-hit areas.
The Immigration Department said 14 Hongkongers had contacted it for travel information as of 5pm on Tuesday, though they subsequently left the affected areas for safer places.
Travel agency WWPKG on Tuesday wrote on its Facebook page that all of this month’s trips to the hard-hit city of Wajima in Ishikawa would be cancelled over safety concerns.
Customers can change tour plans, keep fees for future services or ask for full refunds, according to the agency.
WWPKG chief executive officer Yuen Chun-ning said 10 tours, involving 150 people, were affected by the latest change.
But tours to other parts of Ishikawa, such as the city of Kanazawa or hot spring resort Wakura Onsen, would continue, Yuen said.
According to the company’s website, five tours heading to Ishikawa this month were still available.
