CHAPTER 2. INTERNATIONAL TOURISM
The number of foreign visitors to Japan in the year of 1973 amounted to 785,000
persons and it was an increase of 8.497o in comparison to the preceding year.
In observing the breakdown of visiting foreigner guests, sojourn guests amounted
to 88% (Tourists 57%, business and other guests 31%) and temporary landing guests
amounted to 12%.
In classifying the visiting guests according to territory and nationality,
it is as shown in Table IV-3 and those
from North America occupy 46.2% of the total and is followed by 27.8% from Asia.
Nextly, the number of Japanese overseas travellers greatly increased due to
elevation of income standard and popularization of comparatively cheap partytrips
and the number of overseas travellers in 1973 reached 2,290,000 persons, an increase
of 64% over the preceding year, as shown in Table
IV-4. After entering into the year of 1974, however, holding off of overseas
travel was observed upon reflecting the attitude of people to save consumption
due to the influence of the oil crisis and sharp rise of commodity prices and
particularly, the number of overseas travellers after April is continuing crablike
crawl in comparison to the preceding year. Moreover, when observing according
to the travel purpose, we find that the number of travellers with the purpose
of tourism has come to occupy 80% of the total.
Places of overseas traveller's sojourn is as shown in Table
IV-5 and upon combining those for Hong Kong, the Republic of Korea and Formosa,
it was 1,370,000 persons for the year of 1973 and occupied 46% of the total.
With the sharp increase of overseas travellers as above-mentioned, the expenditure
of international travel accounts balance of Japan greatly increased by 62% over
the preceding year in 1973. Since the receipt against this was confined to a 4%
increase in comparison to the preceding year, the balance of international travel
accounts showed a deficit of 1,043 million dollars.
