Toyota, Honda lift ban on trips to Guangzhou

Toyota, Honda lift ban on trips to Guangzhou

Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Tokyo

Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. announced on Monday the lift of a business trip ban to Chinese production bases in Guangdong province, hit hard by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

The moves came as the World Health Organization (WHO) last Friday lifted its travel warning to the SARS-hit region.

Currently, half of Toyota's 46 Japanese officials stationed at Guangdong office are in Japan after the spread of SARS in the area. The 23 employees will go back to the area soon, Toyota said.

Honda will send about 50 employees to its joint venture in Guangzhou city from June 1 for the start of production of its Fit Saloon subcompact sedan, a Honda spokesman said.

"But we will carefully watch the development of SARS," said the Honda spokesman.

Honda initially planned to start producing the Fit Saloon in China in July for sale in August. It now expects a delay of one and a half months in the start of production and sales.

But the effects of the delay will be offset by an increase in production of the Accord model at the same plant, the Honda official said.

Japan's leading travel agencies, JTB Corp., Kinki Nippon Tourist Co. and Nippon Travel Agency Co., on Monday also announced they restarted tours to Guangdong and to Hong Kong.

The travel agencies said they decided to resume tour packages after the Foreign Ministry eased its travel warning against visiting the two areas.

Japanese tourist companies have suspended since early April all tours to Guangdong and Hong Kong in response to a travel advisory from the WHO.