The U.S. government shutdown that started at midnight Monday has impacted the global travel industry, with tourist agencies in Japan scrambling to avoid severe losses.
The failure of Democrats and Republicans to agree on a new budget saw the closure of 401 national parks, museums, zoos and other public attractions that draw Japanese tourists across the U.S.
"Such attractions as Yosemite National Park and the Grand Canyon are very popular with Japanese visitors," a spokesman at Kinki Nippon Tourist Co., one of the nation's largest travel agencies, told The Japan Times on Wednesday. "They are part of many package tours that our company offers."
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