Myeongdong is one of Seoul’s main shopping districts for tourists featuring mid-to-high priced retail stores and international brand outlets. (image: KobizMedia/ Korea Bizwire)
TOKYO, Feb. 13 (Korea Bizwire) – The number of Japanese tourists visiting South Korea increased 23.4 percent from a year earlier to 2.30 million in 2016 amid improved relations between the two neighboring countries, marking a reversal from declines for three consecutive years, data showed Monday.
According to the Tokyo office of the state-run Korea Tourism Organization, the number of Japanese tourists visiting South Korea peaked in 2012 at 3.51 million before decreasing 21.9 percent, 17.0 percent and 19.4 percent, respectively, in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
The 2016 figure accounts for about 65.2 percent of the 3.51 million recorded in 2012.
An official at the office attributed the rebound to improved Seoul-Tokyo relations following a landmark agreement in December 2015 to resolve their long-standing dispute over Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women.
During the reported year, meanwhile, the number of South Korean visitors to Japan increased 27.2 percent from a year ago to 5.09 million, more than doubling that of Japanese people visiting South Korea, data from the Japanese government said.
The South Korean tourism body plans to launch a campaign aimed at drawing more Japanese tourists to South Korea in cooperation with Japanese travel agencies.
The campaign includes holding joint monthly conferences with the Japan Association of Travel Agents to come up with South Korea-related tourism products and carrying out activities in Osaka, Sapporo and other major Japanese cities to promote the 2018 PyongChang Winter Olympics.
It also said it will put in more efforts than events to attract Japanese tour groups like employee or school field trips to South Korean tourist spots. The proportion of Japanese tourists in tour groups compared to all Japanese travelers in the country fell sharply to 8 percent from the 27 percent recorded in 2012.
(Yonhap)
