Local News

The Kyushu District Transport Bureau has issued its report on tourists who used lodging facilities in 2008. The number of these tourists totaled roughly 38.7 million during the year, a decline of 2.6% from the previous year. This decline also exceeded the national downturn by one percentage point. The primary reason was the 8.2% year-on-year decline for overseas tourists, which resulted from the global economic crisis and the rapid depreciation of the South Korean won. South Koreans account for a large percentage of overseas tourists to Kyushu.