Two months with zero international visitors
Naha Airport (February 2020)
June 24, 2020 Ryukyu Shimpo
On June 24, the Okinawa Prefecture Department of Culture, Tourism and Sports announced that there were 44,000 visitors to the prefecture in May, a 94.7% (790,900 people) decrease compared to May 2019. This is the largest drop recorded, in both percentage and actual number of visitors and is the first time since September 1976 that the number of visitors has dropped below 50,000. The visitors in May were all domestic, making it the second consecutive month with zero international visitors.
According to prefectural representatives, the number of operating domestic flights was down 75.1% (3,223 flights) compared to the number planned for May, and down 60.5% (2,529 flights) in June. International flight suspensions continued in June and there are still no plans to resume operation of cruise ships.
Restrictions on travel between prefectures were lifted on June 19, so the number of domestic tourists is expected to recover from June.
Kazuhiro Toguchi, director of the Department of Culture, Tourism and Sports, says, “We are implementing protective measures as we work to revive the tourism industry.”
(English translation by T&CT and Ellen Huntley)
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Webcam(Kokusai Street)
