Japan sets new records for inbound visitor number, spending

Tokyo, Jan 15 Inbound tourism in Japan reached new heights in 2024, with visitor number and spending both hitting record highs as a weaker currency made the country an attractive destination, data showed Wednesday.

Inbound visitor spending in 2024 surged 53.4 per cent year on year to 8.14 trillion yen (about 51.8 billion US dollars), surpassing the previous record of 5.31 trillion yen in 2023, according to the Japan Tourism Agency.

The weaker yen, a significant rise in visitor numbers, and increased accommodation costs contributed to the record-breaking figures.

Average spending per visitor rose 6.8 per cent year on year to 227,242 yen. By country or region, China led the spending with around 20 per cent of the total.

Separate data from the Japan National Tourism Organisation showed some 36.87 million foreign visitors came to Japan in 2024, up 47.1 per cent from the previous year. December alone saw 3.49 million visitors, the highest monthly total on record, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Japanese government has set a target of attracting 60 million annual visitors and 15 trillion yen in spending by 2030.

The government agencies had revealed that Japan logged 2,872,200 foreign visitors in September 2024, the highest number ever recorded for the month as travellers continue to flow in, bolstered largely by a weak yen.

Increased flights to Japan, along with more outbound travellers during public holidays in neighbouring countries such as South Korea and China have contributed to the surge.

Foreign visitor arrivals remained high mostly last year as Japan introduced a series of initiatives to attract inbound visitors and boost tourism across the country.

Meanwhile, the number of outbound Japanese travellers rose 20.7 per cent year on year to 1,212,600 in September 2024.