The Japanese government revealed on Wednesday that the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan skyrocketed by 79.5% in January 2024 compared to the same period last year, reaching a total of 2.69 million visitors. This figure mirrors tourist arrivals from January 2019, marking a return to pre-COVID levels.
The surge in foreign tourist arrivals follows Japan’s decision to lift border control measures implemented in April 2023 to curb the spread of COVID-19. Additionally, the depreciation of the yen has further incentivized international travel to Japan.
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), despite a strong earthquake in central Japan on New Year’s Day, the impact on tourism remained minimal, with only a few cancellations from tourists originating from South Korea and China.
South Korea remains the largest source of foreign tourists, with 857,000 arrivals in January 2024, reflecting a 10.0% increase compared to January 2019. Taiwan followed closely behind, with 492,300 visitors, marking a notable 27.0% increase. However, arrivals from China declined by 44.9% due to delayed relaxation of travel restrictions compared to other countries.
January also saw record-high monthly arrivals from South Korea, Taiwan, and Australia.
While outbound travel from Japan surged by 89.3% year-on-year in January 2024, reaching 838,600 travelers, this figure still represents a 42.3% decrease compared to January 2019, indicative of the ongoing impacts of the pandemic on international travel patterns.