Number of foreign visitors to Japan on target for record high
Foreign arrivals in Japan increased 46 per cent to 9.14 million in the first half of this year from 6.26 million in the same half last year, the Japan National Tourism Organisation said on Wednesday.
If this pace is maintained, foreign visitors arriving in Japan this year could reach a record 18 million, according to the organisation.
Visitors from 19 countries and territories, including South Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Australia and the United States, marked record highs during the period.
Since July normally sees more foreign visitors than any other month and the twenty-third World Scout Jamboree is planned in Yamaguchi from the end of July through early August, an increase in visitors can be expected.
June saw 1.6 million foreigners visiting Japan, up 51.8 per cent from the same month last year, when nearly 1.06 million foreigners entered the country.
Besides the start of the summer vacation season and tourism promotional campaigns, the yen’s depreciation and an increase in international airline routes helped increase the number of travellers to Japan.
The largest source was China with 462,300 entering Japan in June, a 167.2-per-cent jump from the same month last year. The second largest was Taiwan with 345,200, up 35.8 per cent, followed by South Korea with 251,500, up 21.2 per cent.
