Tourism in Jeju remains strong despite THAAD woes SEOUL , April 5 ( Yonhap ) -- The tourism industry on South Korea ' s resort island of Jeju remained relatively sound in March , despite worries about a serious economic setback from China ' s travel package ban to its neighbor amid a diplomatic standoff , industry sources said Wednesday . The number of tourists who came to Jeju Island was 1 . 25 million between March 1 and April 3 , down 3 . 9 percent from a year earlier , according to the data by the Jeju Provincial Tourism Association . Of the tally , foreign tourists plunged by 56 . 4 percent to 118 , 410 , but local visitors jumped by 10 percent to some 1 . 13 million over the cited period , it said . The data reflected the anticipated outcome after Beijing ' s order on its travel agencies to stop selling tours to Korea went into effect March 15 . China has stepped up its restrictions on Korean companies and goods , in retribution for Seoul ' s installation of the U . S . Terminal High Altitude Area Defense ( THAAD ) system on its soil . The number of Chinese tourists declined 36 . 6 percent to 61 , 477 between March 1 - 15 . Since March 16 , the figure has nearly halved to some 19 , 000 , according to the association . But the popular tourist island , located off the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula , has shrugged off such concerns on the back of robust non - Chinese demand . " Despite the THAAD issues , Jeju managed to stay relatively sound in terms of the tourist count , backed by strong demand from locals and steady inflows from Japan and Southeast Asia , " an official at the association said . The number of Japanese visitors rose 8 . 3 percent to 4 , 138 in the cited period , with that of other regions , including Southeast Asia , gaining 7 . 4 percent to 33 , 805 , the association said . elly @ yna . co . kr ( END )