Hoteliers in Okinawa seem to have a common message to guests invited to the Group of Eight Summit in Okinawa in July: We will be happy to have you here, but we wish you would come in winter.
Local hoteliers and many travel agents have mixed feelings because they fear the gathering of state heads will crowd out other visitors to the island during what would normally be its busiest tourist season.
They are skeptical of the highly touted positive effects of the summit on the local tourism industry, as they are already seeing a decline in reservations for the period leading up to and during the gathering.