KOROR, Palau (13 July 2003) -- There were only 1,750 tourists that visited Palau in June, a drop of 62 percent compared to last year's figure. All indications point to the SARS outbreak as the main culprit. The Palau Visitors Authority said the country receives an average of 4,500 visitors a month. "SARS was the most prominent (cause) of this decrease," a PVA source said. "It's the first time that it went down this low. SARS is a big contributing factor." In June, the local government issued a directive banning the entry of individuals from SARS affected areas — Taiwan, China and Hong Kong. | | There were only six visitors from Taiwan and some 600 from Japan in June. Far Eastern Air Transport and Palau Trans Pacific Airline had no Palau-bound passengers following the implementation of the travel ban. Japan Airlines, which has been suffering from a steep decrease in the number of passengers, only had 96 Palau-bound passengers in June. Japan's visitor arrivals dropped by 41 percent, and the European market decreased by 56 percent. SOURCE - Palau Horizon |
