Chinese tourists in Japan Photo: IC

Chinese tourism industry observers say Japan remains one of the most popular destinations for Chinese tourists despite the destruction on Thursday of its world heritage site, Shuri Castle, which is more than 500 years old.

Shuri Castle, locally referred to as the Symbol of Okinawa, is an attractive spot for global tourists. A fire alarm rang out at around 2:30 am on Thursday, local time, the Japan Times reported, though the cause of the fire remains unknown. The fire was extinguished at about 11 am local time on the same day, and there have thus far been no reports of injuries.

Roughly 4,200 square meters of the facility were destroyed, including the main, north and south buildings, and all three were wooden structures, read the report.

Shuri Castle is known as a famous tourist attraction in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture. The prefecture comprises a chain of islands in the south of Japan and was an independent kingdom, Ryukyu Kingdom, until 1609.

Global Times reporter last week visited Shuri Castle and observed crowds tourists from all over the world, with Chinese travelers accounting for a significant proportion. 

According to data from Chinese travel platform Trip.com, Shuri Castle received about 1.81 million visitors in 2018, and roughly 58 percent of new travelers to Okinawa pay visits to Shuri Castle.

About 5 percent of Chinese tourists choose Okinawa as their destination, according to data from China's CYTS Tours Holding Co.

Cruise ships from southern and eastern China have occasionally included Shuri Castle in their onshore visit schedules, though the popularity of Okinawa as a destination for Chinese tourists is not high, Zou Qingling, head of the overseas business department of Chinese travel platform lvmama.com, told the Global Times.

The most attractive Japanese destinations for Chinese tourists are Honshu and Hokkaido, the two largest islands of Japan, Zou noted.

"It is extremely regrettable," a Chinese tourism industry observer surnamed Cui told the Global Times. "But, as a matter of fact, Okinawa was not always the first choice for Chinese tourists, so the fire won't impact much of the passion of Chinese people to travel to Japan, although there will be an impact for local tourism."

A recent report from Trip.com showed that Japan topped the list of Chinese travelers' overseas destinations for self-guided tours during China's National Day holiday, the first week of October.

Okinawa possesses many other tourist sites and facilities which merit a visit, including snorkeling and the prefecture's unique cuisine, according to information from the Chinese travel agency Caissa Tourism Group.