Japanese Visitor Count to Keep Dropping

The number of Japanese tourists visiting Los Angeles will continue to fall through the end of the year, given Japan’s ongoing economic turmoil, local tourism officials have concluded after a recent promotional tour to Japan. Japanese tourism, which accounts for the largest share of foreign visitors to the Los Angeles area, has already fallen 4.5% so far this year and is expected to drop by 6% by the end of the year, said George Kirkland, president of the Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau. Kirkland was part of an eight-member delegation of local tourism and civic leaders who spent seven days in Japan, returning earlier this month. The group met with Japanese tour company and airline officials to encourage more leisure travel to Southern California, which has been hurt by a weaker yen and a drop in Japanese consumer spending.