Given that it is one of the few UNESCO world Heritage Sites
not in a war zone, does the closure of the 2020 Mount Fuji climbing season due
to COVID 19 represent a serious blow to tourism?
By: Ringo Bones
In our “Post 9/11 World”, a growing number of tourist spots
that had been granted UNESCO World Heritage status had since been off limits to
the casual budget-conscious tourist because they have become “conflict zones”. And
add to that Israel Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s recent flirtation with
Trumpism had also complicated everyone’s plan to visit the “Holy Land”. And sadder
still, COVID 19 has since placed a damper on everyone’s summer vacation plans
this 2020.
Almost two decades after 9/11, Japan had earned the good
fortune of one of the safest places to vacation due to the absence of ongoing
armed conflict perpetrated by religious extremists. Sadly, the COVID 19
pandemic has since made visiting Japanese tourist spots a very contentious
issue. This includes Mt. Fuji which will be closed during the 2020 summer
climbing season to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The decision comes after nearby Yamanashi prefecture said it
will close the Yoshida trail, the most popular hiking path of the four. According
to Japan’s Ministry of the Environment data, the Yoshida Trail accounted for
64-percent of the 236,000 climbers in the 2019 Mount Fuji climbing season, with
the Fujinomiya Trail accounting for around 23-percent. The Mountain is a UNESCO
World Cultural Heritage site and is located just 100 kilometers, or 60 miles,
from Tokyo and is clearly visible from the Japanese capital.
