Japan's top tourism official says the massive New Year's Day earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture has severely damaged the local travel industry.

Many hotels and visitor attractions have been unable to operate since the disaster, Tourism Agency Commissioner Takahashi Ichiro told reporters on Wednesday.

He added that even those that have reopened are seeing reservations cancelled.

He said lessons from previous natural disasters show the road to recovery for the industry will include restoring facilities and maintaining employment. He said it's also important to provide accurate data about the region to counter unfounded rumors and misinformation.

Takahashi said the total number of overseas tourists visiting Japan has not been much affected by the disaster. However, there have been some cancellations by visitors from parts of Asia.

The commissioner added that the agency will continue to help the local Ishikawa authorities with secondary evacuation. That is to move evacuees to hotels and inns outside quake-hit areas that offer better living conditions.