[Tokyo 18th Reuters]-The number of foreign visitors to Japan in August announced by the Japan Tourism Board on August 18th was 2.22 million, down 2.2% from the same month last year. It has been below the previous year for the first time in 11 months since September last year, which was affected by Typhoon No. 21 and the Hokkaido Iburi Eastern Earthquake.
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, although visits to Japan from China, Europe, Australia, and Australia were strong, the overall slowdown in the Korean market, which has a large number of visitors to Japan, contributed to a year-on-year decline.
The number of tourists from South Korea decreased by 48.0% year-on-year to 308,700, down from the previous month. The Tourism Bureau has refrained from visiting Japan in South Korea due to the recent deterioration of Japan-Korea relations, the improvement in relations between Korea and China has recovered demand for travel to China, and the sluggishness of the Korean economy has decreased. It is considered as a factor.
On the other hand, the number of customers from China increased by 16.3% to 1,600,600, the highest in August. The number of travelers from 15 countries and regions including China recorded a record high for the same month.
(Shio Tanaka)
