TOKYO – The number of foreign visitors to Japan in July rose 4.4 percent from a year earlier to 3.4 million, a record for the month, government estimates showed Wednesday, as other nations were in their school holiday season.
Recently, Japan has become a major travel destination on the back of the popularity of its culture, such as anime, and the yen’s depreciation.
By country and region, China topped the list with 974,500 visitors, up 25.5 percent from the previous year, followed by South Korea with 678,600, a 10.4 percent decrease, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.
Visitors from Taiwan ranked third, gaining 5.7 percent to 604,200, a monthly record, due largely to increased flights connecting Japan and the territory.
The organization said 15 markets, including the United States, France and Indonesia, set new visitor records for July.
On a negative note, travel demand from Hong Kong and South Korea was hit by a rumor on social media that Japan would suffer a devastating natural disaster in July, it said.
Speculation of an earthquake — specifically on July 5 — spread after a prediction in “The Future I Saw,” a manga by Japanese artist Ryo Tatsuki, even prompting the suspension of some regular flights between Japan and Hong Kong.
The organization said in a statement that it will pursue the promotion of strategic inbound tourism while closely analyzing market trends.
In the three-year plan through fiscal 2025, the government aims to boost travel spending per person to 200,000 yen ($1,355) and raise the average overnight stay in regional areas to two nights, compared with fiscal 2019 levels of 159,000 yen and 1.4 nights.
AloJapan.com