Foreign visitors to Japan plummet by 50 percent in March

The number of foreign visitors to Japan in March plunged by 50 percent from a year earlier, following the twin disasters in the month and the subsequent nuclear crisis, local media reported Thursday.

Foreign arrivals dropped 50.3 percent to an estimated 352,800 in the month, the sharpest drop since comparable data began to be compiled in 1961 and the first year-on-year fall since October 2009, Kyodo News reported.

The Japan National Tourism Organization said foreigners may continue to shy away from visiting Japan, if the crisis at the crippled Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant drags on.

Number of foreign tourists in Brazil up 7.8 percent in 2010

Brazil received 5.16 million foreign visitors in 2010, a 7.8 percent increase over 2009, Brazil's tourist board Embratur said Friday in a report.

"The figures are very positive, considering that the strong appreciation of the Brazilian currency real has been turning Brazil into a more expensive destination for foreign tourists," Embratur President Mario Moyses said.

In the past two years, the Brazilian real appreciated some 26 percent against the U.S. dollar, despite a series of government measures to halt this rising trend.In 2010, most foreigners who visited Brazil were from South American countries, Embratur said, adding that the number of South American tourists increased by 13.7 percent last year, led by Argentina, Uruguay and Chile.

A total of 1.4 million Argentineans visited Brazil in 2010, up from 1.2 million in 2009. The number of Uruguayan tourists rose by 39 percent, and that of Chileans 17 percent.Moyses attributed the rise to the budget increase for tourism last year.He said resources reached 17 million reais (10.8 million U.S. dollars) in 2010, almost 70 percent more than in 2009.

Tourism in Brazil is expected to increase even more in the following years as the country will hold several big events.Rio will hold the World Military Games this year. In 2013 and 2014, the country will host FIFA's Confederations Cup and World Cup, and in 2016, Rio will host the Summer Olympic Games.

Source = xinhuanet