Bus tour cancelled after Kobe firm announces Yuzuru Hanyu show early

KOBE -- A travel company here has been forced to cancel a bus tour to see star figure skaters including Yuzuru Hanyu perform in the city, after prematurely announcing the package before the show organizers publicized his appearance.

On May 15, the local Kobe Shimbun newspaper's travel subsidiary, Kobe Press Tourist, disclosed to the Mainichi Shimbun that the agency had its right to sell tickets to the show revoked after the company effectively announced Hanyu's performances before organizer CIC Inc.

Around 90 people had already booked places, with customers here in Hyogo Prefecture, as well as further afield in eastern Japan's Kanto region and the southwestern Kyushu region. The travel company has returned payments and provided apology vouchers worth 5,000 yen (about $46).

The show, "Fantasy on Ice 2019," is set to take place at the World Hall in the city's Chuo Ward from June 7 to 9. The bus tour, planned as a day trip departing from nearby Himeji, also in Hyogo Prefecture, was set to take 40 customers a day.

According to Kobe Press Tourist, the organizers' announcement of Yuzuru Hanyu's involvement was scheduled for 6 p.m. on May 10, but an employee uploaded the bus tour information to the company website without checking the embargo at around 2 p.m. on May 9. After being pointed out by a customer on the morning of May 10, they ceased accepting bookings. Unfortunately, a ticketing company notified them that they were no longer able to provide tickets to the travel company.

The company decided to cancel the bus tour on May 13. Around half of its 90 would-be passengers had already paid for the trip. A representative said, "We can't apologize enough to our customers who were looking forward to the tour. We will work to ensure this doesn't happen again."

(Japanese original by Kimi Sorihashi, Kobe Bureau)