TOKYO (ANN/JAPAN NEWS) – The number of foreign visitors to Japan from January to June reached a record high of 17,777,200, the Japan National Tourism Organization announced on Friday.
Tourist spending also hit a record high, amounting to JPY 3.9 trillion during the same period.
These record numbers are attributed to the perception that a trip to Japan is more affordable due to the depreciation of the yen.
The majority of visitors came from South Korea, followed by China, Taiwan, and the United States. Since February, the number of visitors each month has exceeded that of the same month in 2019, the previous record year before the coronavirus pandemic. June alone saw a record number of 3,135,600 visitors in a single month.
The number of visitors this year might reach 35 million, and the amount spent by tourists might hit JPY8 trillion. The government has set goals of 60 million visitors and JPY15 trillion by 2030.
The government has compiled measures to make sure the country is better prepared to receive visitors with the aim of further increasing the number of tourists, at a meeting of Ministerial Council on the Promotion of Japan as a Tourism-Oriented Country on Friday.
In response to foreign airlines canceling plans for new flights due to a fuel shortage, the government plans to increase production at refineries and boost imports to secure fuel.
For measures to combat overtourism, the government decided to add six areas, including Naha and Otsuki, Yamanashi Prefecture, to its list of places that it will provide financial support.
