TOKYO, Oct 15 (Bernama-Kyodo) — The number of foreign visitors to Japan between January and September rose 17.7 per cent from a year earlier to around 31.65 million, marking the fastest pace on record in surpassing 30 million within a year, the government said on Wednesday, amid a weak yen and a surge in Chinese tourists.
According to Kyodo News Agency, the annual number is certain to surpass the record 36.87 million hit in 2024 and may even reach the 40-million range, data from the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) showed.
The total amount spent by foreign visitors on accommodation, shopping and other consumption in the first nine months of the year reached a record 6.9 trillion yen (US$45.5 billion).
With the surge in visitors, overtourism has become a problem in urban areas, making it an urgent task to disperse travellers to regional areas and boost accommodation capacity.
By country and region, China topped the list with around 7.49 million visitors, up 42.7 per cent from a year earlier, followed by South Korea with around 6.79 million, up 5.0 per cent, and Taiwan with around 5.04 million, up 9.8 per cent, according to the JNTO.
The number of foreign visitors in September alone rose 13.7 per cent from a year earlier to around 3.27 million, making it the first time the figure has exceeded 3 million for that month.
Although the monthly growth rate fell into single digits earlier this year amid rumours about major natural disasters possibly occurring in Japan over the summer, it picked back up to double digits in August and September.
The average spending per visitor in the quarter through September was 219,428 yen, down 0.2 per cent from the same period last year, with the highest being German visitors at 435,512 yen, followed by visitors from Britain at 360,054 yen and Spain at 354,793 yen.
— BERNAMA-KYODO