A steep drop is expected in the number of tourists visiting Okinawa from March through May, compared to the same three months last year, due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus. The Okinawa Convention and Visitors Bureau (OCVB) projects the total number of tourists to the prefecture will decline by about 1.52 million people, a 59.1% drop from 2019.
The figures are based on a survey of airlines and travel agencies. It is predicted that the numbers of both group and individual tour customers will see drastic drops, for reasons including cruise ships becoming unable to dock at ports.
The number of foreign tourists is expected to decline by 630,000, or 84.7%, compared to the same time period last year, while the number of Japanese tourists is expected to decline by 880,000, or 48.7%. Meanwhile the amount spent by foreign tourists is estimated to drop by around 39.6 billion yen, or 78.9%, and the amount spent by Japanese tourists to drop by 62.7 billion yen, or 48.4%.
With now being the best time to increase demand for the Golden Week holiday period, a representative of OCVB said, "In order to keep the effects to a minimum, we'd like to move forward with many different policies."
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