BEIJING - Japan is no longer among the top 10 overseas destinations for travelers from China as they plan trips for a major vacation period covering the weeklong National Day holidays from Thursday, according to a major Chinese travel agency, amid soured ties between the Asian neighbors.
Last year, Japan topped the list for the holiday period, which also includes the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival from Friday. The agency, Tuniu, said Indonesia, Turkey and South Korea are now among the most popular overseas destinations.
The shift comes after Chinese authorities urged citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan last November following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks to parliament suggesting that an attack by China on Taiwan could trigger a response from Japanese defense forces.
Beijing claims the self-ruled island is part of its territory and aims to bring it under its control, by force if necessary.
A Chinese man who traveled to Japan earlier this year said, "There are certainly people who would find it difficult to choose Japan as a travel destination given the current atmosphere."
The number of visitors from China to Japan in the first six months of this year has fallen sharply, dropping 56.4 percent from a year earlier, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.
The National Day holidays mark the 77th anniversary of the founding of China, with the government forecasting 2.13 billion people to travel through next Wednesday.
The Chinese government expects about 340 million people to travel domestically on Thursday alone, the peak day of the holiday. More than 90 percent of travel is expected to be by car, with expressway tolls waived during the holidays.
With electric vehicles increasingly common in China, the government says it has installed more than 10,000 fast-charging stations this year to meet growing demand on expressways.
