Amid an outbreak of Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in Korea, an increasing number of cruise ships departing from China are bypassing Korea and changing their destinations to ports of call in Kyushu. The Japanese government and travel companies are scrambling to accommodate the influx of cruise ships, whose berths are typically reserved up to two years in advance of a trip. According to Fukuoka City, right after the MERS outbreak, the number of reservations for June and July stops has been revised upwards 13 times. Hakata Port was already set to top last year’s record high 250 annual port stops, but this MERS incident is expected to add even more stops to the tally. Other ports in Kyushu, including Nagasaki and Yatsushiro (Kumamoto Pref.), are also seeing ap uptick in requests for berths. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun 6/18
