A rush of Japanese tourists is expected to visit South Korea during Japan’s “Golden Week,” a series of national holidays which begin the end of April and last until early May.

The state-run Korean Tourism Organization projected some 98-thousand Japanese will visit, citing a survey done by major Japanese travel agency JTB. The figure is up 32 percent from the same period last year.

According to the survey, Japanese are more interested in visiting Korea than other Asian destinations, such as China or Malaysia.

Another Japanese travel agency, HIS, said its sales of tour packages to Korea increased 88 percent year-on-year.

Recent devaluations in the Korean won resulting from the global economic crisis are expected to have played a part in the influx of international tourists coming to the nation.