By Hoang Vu  August 15, 2025 | 05:00 pm PT
Foreign visitors on a street in Japan. Photo by AFP
Japan, voted the “world’s most favorite destination” last year, aims to welcome 60 million international visitors by 2030, a 50% increase from the current figure.
In the first half of 2025, the country saw a record 21.5 million foreign arrivals, up 21% year-on-year, driven by recovering travel demand and the weak yen, Reuters reported.
Authorities expect the total for this year to reach 40 million.
To achieve the 2030 target, the Japan Tourism Agency is focusing on attracting visitors to regional destinations such as Nikko, Japan News reported.
The agency noted that the so-called “Golden Route,” typically covering Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, has limited capacity for further growth, and is working to disperse tourists more evenly across the country to spread economic benefits.
Its main targets are travelers from the U.S., Australia, and European countries, who tend to stay a week or longer and are often affluent.
Data shows that spending by tourists from the U.S. and Australia has been steadily increasing.
Between April and June, British visitors topped the list for average spending per person at 444,000 yen (US$2,983), compared with the overall average of 239,000 yen. They were followed by travelers from Italy and Germany.
Japan was named the world’s most favorite travel destination by readers of Condé Nast Traveler in the 2024 edition of the magazine’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards. It logged more than 36.8 million tourist arrivals last year.
AloJapan.com