Tensions may decrease Korean tourists to Japan

The number of Korean tourists heading to Japan may be affected by escalating bilateral tensions over Tokyo's territorial claims, industry data and sources said Monday.

Around 236,000 Koreans visited Japan in July, up 34 percent from a year earlier, according to data by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), Japan's tourism agency. Korea sent the largest number of tourists to Japan among its neighboring countries last month, added the data.

Market watchers said that the number of South Korean visitors reached the previous level set before the massive earthquake in March last year. Nearly 2.5 million South Koreans went to Japan in 2010, but the number plunged to 1.6 million in 2011.

However, the recent diplomatic flare-up over Japan's territorial claims on Korea's islets of Dokdo can affect the recovering tourism industry, they said. After South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's visit to the easternmost islands, Japan renewed its sovereignty claims over Dokdo, which have hurt Seoul-Tokyo relations.

A Japanese government official was scheduled to visit Seoul last week to discuss ways to boost tourism cooperation but canceled his trip as diplomatic tensions intensified.

"The conflict has not seemed to have influenced demand for travel to Japan yet," said a source. "But if Japanese rights activists become extreme, South Koreans will turn their eyes to other countries over safety concerns." (Yonhap)