Chinese airlines have seen their business recover in recent months. Ding Yue, spokesman for Air China, said, "Every carrier is adding capacity to Japanese routes and passenger numbers will return to the level before the territorial disputes."

China Eastern Airlines, with the most destinations in Japan among Chinese carriers, said it expects much better business this year than in 2013.

A manager at BTG International Travel and Tours, who declined to be identified, said, "Business with Japan is good and the next two months are the traditional peak for Japanese tourism with the arrival of the cherry blossom season."

But last year, 2.88 million Japanese tourists visited China, an 18.21 percent year-on-year decline, according to the China National Tourism Administration.

Shoichiro Horii, marketing and sales manager for All Nippon Airways' regional headquarters for China, said the strained relations between the two countries are a main concern for Japanese people.

"Air pollution and the appreciation of the yuan are other reasons," he said.

wangwen@chinadaily.com.cn