Due to the worsening of Japan-Korea relations, Tsushima City, Nagasaki Prefecture, is experiencing a dramatic decline in the number of Korean tourists and is severely affected by local tourism and the economy.
Last year, 410,000 Korean tourists visited Tsushima City with a population of 30,000. According to the city, by the end of June this year, the number of tourists increased by 10% from the previous year, and further growth was expected.
However, since the government announced in July that it would tighten export restrictions on semiconductor materials and so on, the number of customers was rapidly increasing. The number of Korean tourists in September was only about 3,000, a 90% decrease from the previous year.
Hita Katsu Port International Terminal, located in the north, is the gateway to Busan, South Korea. It is about 50km to Busan Port and takes about 1 hour 10 minutes by high-speed boat.
A female store manager (44) at the cafe in front of the terminal building, gazing at the sparsely populated building, said, “Until just before, there was a line of departure procedures outside the entrance.”
The women's store was also crowded with tourists who came to drink coffee before leaving the country. At the souvenir shop, konjac jelly and peach-flavored liquor were popular, and there was a line at the cash register. Although there were three-digit visitors a day, the number of visitors decreased to two-digits since the end of Bon Festival.
A tourist who still visits me says, "I'm sorry for this, because I bring a lot (customers)." The woman said, “We can't do anything about the countries, so we wait patiently to improve the relationship. But restaurants and bus companies for group customers are very difficult.” According to a local taxi driver, the tour bus used to be a series of large buses, but now it has almost disappeared.
In order to improve the current situation, seek to break away from South Korea. Aiming at domestic customers, Nagasaki Prefecture will issue a coupon that discounts 3,000 yen per night for domestic guests visiting Tsushima City from next month to the end of February next year. At the press conference on the 4th, Secretary General Yiwei Sung showed the idea of proceeding with discussions, saying, “We will respond to areas affected by South Korean issues, depending on the region.” (Ayako Oikawa)