[scrap] Chinese tourists to Korea fell 47% in April y/y, but overall numbers rise
April was good month for South Korea's tourism industry. According to data from the transport ministry on Sunday, some eight seven million foreign tourists visited the nation last month up roughly three eight percent from a year earlier. Tourists from China declined by almost half on-year: from 1 seven million to just 900 thousand. That can be chalked up to Seoul's decision to deply THAAD. The US anti-missile system deemed a necessary protection against Pyongyang's threats is perceived as a security threat by Beijing, leading China to carry out retaliation measures including a virtual travel ban to South Korea. But the boost in visitors from Japan and Southeast Asian nations easily made up for that loss. ( http://www.arirang.com/News/News_View.asp?nseq=204517 )