Snow and cherry blossoms cheer Japan
Australian arrivals to Japan in 2011 totaled 162,700, a 27.9 percent average annual decrease compared to 225,800 in 2010.
The figures released by the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) indicate that tourism picked up in the latter half of 2011 with the rate of decline slowing to 11.7 percent in December 2011.
JNTO cites previously the unstable situation at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, worries about food and water safety and radiation issues as reasons for the slowdown.
The strong Japanese yen to the Australian dollar was also diverting Australian tourists to countries like the United States and Europe, JNTO said.
Yukio Yamashita, executive director JNTO Sydney office, said last minute bookings were coming in for the ski season, with the best snow in years creating ideal conditions for skiers, and also cherry-blossom tours in March-May 2012.
Total visitor numbers to Japan in 2011 were 6,219,300, a 27.8 percent decrease from 2010’s record figures of 8,611,175.
Ian Jarrett
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