Mainland travelers remain keen on tours to Japan

Chinese travelers' enthusiasm for visiting Japan during the Spring Festival holiday remains high, despite an appreciating Japanese yen and an exit tax levied on foreign visitors.

Japan, next only to Thailand, has become the hottest overseas destination for Chinese travelers during the upcoming one-week Spring Festival break in early February, according to Ctrip, China's largest online travel agency.

By Jan 4, the number of travelers who booked trips to spend Spring Festival in Japan jumped 40 percent year-on-year, and their per capita spending on booking is 9,000 yuan ($1,312) on average. More than half of the popular routes have been sold out, Ctrip said.