The number of Japanese visiting Singapore plunged 51 percent to 36,000 in October from a year earlier in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the United States, according to monthly trade data released Monday by the Singapore Tourism Board.
The drop marked a continuation in falling arrivals that started in March due to Japan's ailing economy.
Specifically, the number of Japanese tourists who came to Singapore last month dived 58 percent, while business travelers fell by 37 percent.
In contrast, the number of visitors from China rose by 21 percent to 43,000 in October, overtaking Japan as one of the key sources of visitors for that month.
China was the fourth-biggest source of visitors last month and Japan was the sixth-biggest.
"China was the only market that registered double-digit growth in holiday arrivals" in a month that saw total visitor arrivals fall 10.6 percent after declining 3.1 percent in September, the board said.
"Positive economic sentiments coupled with the one-week-long National Day holiday boosted arrivals from China," it said.
The Chinese travel industry is still buoyed by the rapid growth of China's economy, which has been relatively unscathed by the global economic downturn.
For the first 10 months of this year, 680,000 Japanese visited Singapore, down 12 percent, while 408,000 mainland Chinese came here -- up 12 percent.
"The aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. and the weakening global economy was felt across most continents and affected travel across many key markets," the board said.
Visitor arrivals from the United States fell 41 percent in October after declining 22 percent in September.