Earthquakes, tsunamis, and the on going issues with the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have had a devastating impact on Japan's travel and tourism industries.
Not surprisingly, inbound visitor arrivals in Japan fell by 50% in March, figures from the Japan National Tourism Organization reveal.
This followed modest growth of 2% during the first two months of 2011. Other key Northeast Asian destinations registered similar lacklustre growth in arrival numbers, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) adds.
Outbound visitor figures for Japan fell by a more modest 18% in March.
“Hopes are for a quick return to normalcy sometime from June onwards as the larger part of the country is not affected by the earthquake and tsunami and the on-going issues at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant,” a press release issued by PATA says.