Revenues from overseas trips at 50 Japanese tourist agencies in October shrank a record 46.1 percent to 115.98 billion yen from the previous year due to transportation concerns caused by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a government survey showed.

The survey, conducted by the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry, also attributed the plunge to similar concerns associated with the U.S.-led attacks in Afghanistan, which began in October.

The year-on-year plunge was the largest since the ministry began the survey in April 1986, the ministry said.

Revenues from package tours organized by the surveyed agencies in October dropped 41.7 percent, as both groups and individuals shied away from making trips, the ministry said.

In particular, overseas tours to Guam, Hawaii and the U.S. mainland declined significantly in the month.

Revenues from domestic tours in October also declined, dipping 5.9 percent to 318.26 billion yen.

Fear of international travel contributed to a 5.2 percent rise in domestic package tour revenues compared with a year ago but this was more than offset by the decline in overall tours in Japan.

School trips to Okinawa, which hosts some 75 percent of U.S. military facilities in Japan, were largely canceled in the month, apparently out of fear of further terrorist attacks targeting U.S. facilities.