Japan attracts record number of tourists in 2010

The number of overseas tourists visiting Japan jumped 26.8 per cent to an all-time high of 8.6 million in 2010, but fell short of the goal of 10 million, an industry group said Wednesday.The Japan National Tourist Organization attributed the increase to global economic recovery, the effectiveness of advertising campaigns and the opening of a new terminal at Tokyo Haneda Airport.

Tourism in 2009 suffered an 18.7-per-cent plunge due mainly to the yen's appreciation, a global recession and the outbreak of a new influenza virus. A stronger yen makes travelling to Japan more costly.In 2009, the number of tourists from South Korea, the biggest market, plummeted 33.4 per cent. But the sector rebounded in 2010, soaring 53.8 per cent to 2.4 million in 2010, or 28.3 per cent of the total.

The number of visitors from China, France, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand also reached record highs, the organization said.China was the second-largest market, with visitors increasing 40.5 per cent to 1.4 million, accounting for 16.4 per cent of the total.But Japan's deteriorating relations with China caused the numbers to plunge from 171,503 in August to 68,500 in November and 60,600 in December.

In early September, Japan arrested a Chinese fishing captain after his boat collided with Japan Coast Guard vessels near disputed islets in the East China Sea. The incident led to the worst bilateral diplomatic row in recent years.

Source = earthtimes.org