Japan Sees Record 36.87 Million Inbound Visitors in 2024

Japan experienced an astonishing influx of tourists in 2024, with 36.87 million inbound visitors, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. This number represents a significant rise of 15.6 percent compared to the pre-pandemic statistics of 2019 and exceeds the previous record of 31.88 million visitors by nearly 5 million.

Visits from South Korea and the United States surged by approximately 58 percent when compared to 2019 figures. Conversely, the number of tourists arriving from the Chinese mainland witnessed a decline of 27.2 percent. Future projections by the Japanese travel agency JTB suggest that visitor numbers could surpass 40 million by 2025.

Further, the Japan Tourism Agency disclosed that foreign visitors' total expenditure reached an all-time high of 8.14 trillion yen (around $52 billion) in the last year, marking a 69.1 percent increase from 2019. The leading contributors to this spending included the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, South Korea, the U.S., and Hong Kong, with these regions collectively accounting for 65.7 percent of foreign spending.

On a per-person basis, the average travel expenditure for foreign visitors rose to 227,242 yen, reflecting increases of 6.8 percent year-on-year and 43.3 percent compared to 2019. Looking ahead, the Japanese government's objective is to attract 60 million visitors annually and elevate spending to 15 trillion yen by 2030. Nevertheless, authorities are also aware of the challenges posed by over-tourism and are promoting visits to areas outside the primary metropolitan hubs.