The Japanese tour market in Thailand is likely to experience setbacks in the wake of Japan's massive earthquake and nuclear crisis, according to the Kasikorn Research Center.

The leading think tank forecasts the number of Thais travelling to Japan this year will decrease by around 100,000-150,000 from the earlier target with spending declining to 5-7 billion baht ( 165231 million U.S. dollars).

It also depends on how long it takes the Japanese government to bring the situation under control and rehabilitate the country, which would help restore confidence among foreign tourists regarding safety and convenience.

Besides, the expected slowdown in market growth will also affect foreign tour agencies, so operators must speed adjusting their marketing strategy, launching promotional campaigns for travel to interesting destinations and catering to the demand of families preferring to travel abroad when the school semester ends.

Japan's market growth is expected to drop from 12.1 percent last year to only 3.7-8.4 percent this year, according to the research.