Chinese tourists claim their luggage upon their return from Japan at Beijing Capital International Airport on March 16. Photo: CFP

All 889 tourists from Beijing who were stranded in Japan after the earthquake have returned, as the last group of 27 people safely landed at the Beijing Capital International Airport on Monday.

A total of 5,416 Chinese tourists who were in Japan when the earthquake hit have returned safely, according to a statement on the website of the China National Tourism Bureau Monday.

A tourist surnamed Dong said he arrived in Tokyo on March 11 when the 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck.

"The quake started not long after we landed; I couldn't stand steadily," Dong told the Beijing Daily.

"I wanted to jump right back onto that plane and head back to Beijing," he added.

Travel agencies suffered huge financial losses due to the disaster in Japan, as March usually sees tourists flocking to the nation to admire the blooming cherry blossoms during the Sakura Festival.

The sudden drop in the number of tourists and increase in refunds has cost some travel agencies millions in yuan, reported the Beijing Youth Daily Tuesday.

"We lost 3.28 million yuan ($500,496) in airline tickets and hotel deposits alone," Guo Lingmei, marketing director of BTG International Travel Agency, told the paper.

"The earthquake didn't affect business as much as the radiation contamination, because nobody knows how much or how long the area will be affected," said Sun Lichan, marketing manager at Huayuan International Travel Company.

Even after the crisis ends, it will be months before tourists begin traveling to Japan again, she told the Beijing Youth Daily.

The disaster has also resulted in the number of incoming Japanese tourists to drop, compounding losses for travel agencies.

Global Times