First Half Tourism Figures Japans vs. Phuket

If you thought Phuket's tourism figures for the first half of 2009 (January to June 2009) were dismal then take Japan as a comparative to the broader market. Phuket's H1 figures were down 14% while Japan registered a 29% drop with 3.1 million visitors. According to figures released by the Japan National Tourism Organization the appreciation of the Japanese yen, which makes travel in the country more expensive for overseas travelers, a continued economic crises and threats of the H1N1 crises have been cited.
As currency continues to play a key role in tourism, its interesting now to note recent strengthening of the Korean, Indonesian and Australia currencies which may see impacts in these markets going forward.