Chinese According to the news released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on April 17, the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan in March was 3,081,600, an increase of 69.5% over the same month last year, an increase of 11.6% over the same month in 2019, and a record high of 2,991,100 set in July 2019, the highest in history. In addition to the increase in demand for visitors to Japan due to the spring cherry blossom season, this year's Easter holiday has also increased due to the increase in foreign tourists, reaching a record high in a single month, and the number of tourists exceeding 3 million in a single month for the first time.
According to Japan, the increase in inbound arrivals to Japan in March was due to an increase in the number of overseas tourists from Taiwan in East Asia, the Philippines in Southeast Asia, and the United States in Europe, the Americas, Australia and the Middle East.
Seventeen of the 23 major overseas markets (South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, India, Australia, the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Nordic region) hit record highs in March. In addition, Vietnam, India, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Italy, and the Nordic region also set a record number of tourist records in a single month.
Japan's Fourth Basic Plan for the Revitalization of the Tourism Nation, which was formulated in March last year, proposes three pillars: "sustainable tourism," "increasing tourism spending," and "promoting the attraction of tourists to remote areas." At the same time, in response to the government's specific goals of increasing tourism consumption and staying in local areas, the relevant parties will closely analyze market trends and work to promote Japan's tourism strategy.
The total number of foreign tourists coming to Japan in March was 3,081,600, an increase of 11.6% compared to the same month in 2019. South Korea had 663,100 passengers, up 13.2% from the same month in 2019, Taiwan had 484,400, up 20.4% from the same month in 2019, and Chinese mainland had 452,400, down -34.6% from the same month in 2019.
According to the Japan Tourism Agency's "Survey of Spending Trends of Foreign Visitors to Japan", the amount of spending by foreign visitors to Japan from January to March 2024 was 1.75 trillion yen, a year-on-year increase of 73.3% and an increase of 52.0% from the same period in 2019.
By nationality/region, China topped the list with 352.6 billion yen (20.1%), compared to 424.4 billion yen (36.9%) in the same period in 2019, followed by Taiwan with 251.2 billion yen (14.4%), South Korea with 237.9 billion yen (13.6%), and the United States with 171.6 billion yen (9.8%).
The per capita travel expenditure of ordinary visitors was 208,760 yen, an increase of 41.6% from the same period in 2019. By nationality and region, Australia has the highest 373,343 yen. This is followed by the United Kingdom (367,434 yen) and Spain (351,760 yen). Spain had the highest growth rate compared to 2019, with an increase of 105.3%. In addition, Chinese mainland is 293,050 yen, Taiwan is 173,512 yen, and South Korea is 101,763 yen, and this figure is higher than in 2019 for all countries and regions.
In terms of expense items, accommodation expenses were the largest at 561.9 billion yen (32.1%), followed by shopping expenses at 511.4 billion yen (29.2%), and food and beverage expenses at 380.2 billion yen.