Air travelers to Japan up 20.8% in Aug. despite earthquake concerns

Air travelers between Korea and Japan rose 20.8% on-year so far this month despite an earthquake warning issued in the neighboring country, industry data showed Friday. According to data from major airport operators submitted to Rep. Lee Yeon-hee of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, the number of air travelers between the two countries from Aug. 1 to Tuesday totaled at around 1.38m. The tally marks a 20.8% jump from last year and a 6.3% rise compared with the previous month. Despite a major earthquake warning issued by the Japanese government from Aug. 8-15 following a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Miyazaki Prefecture earlier this month, there was no significant change in the number of passengers on Japanese routes. From the Liberation Day holiday on Thursday to Sunday, 269,000 people traveled on Japanese routes, up 21.4% from last year, even with the cancellation of dozens of flights due to the impact of a typhoon. "With the continued weak yen and the supply of affordable flight tickets primarily from low-cost carriers, demand for travel to Japan is expected to continue for the foreseeable future," an air travel industry watcher said. <br/>