Last month, inbound tourist arrivals exceeded pre-pandemic levels for the first time. A total of 2.51 million foreigners visited Japan, up 0.8% from October 2019. The rate of increase is 28% if tourist numbers from mainland China are excluded.
This is also the fifth month in a row to see monthly numbers exceed 2 million. The highest growth was seen in visitors from South-East Asia and North America. Visitors from Canada, Mexico, US, Singapore, and the Philippines also reached historic highs for the month of October.
Meanwhile, visitors from mainland China are down 65% from 2019, with 256,300 arrivals. Visitors from South Korea comprised 25% of tourists. In second spot was Taiwan, comprising 17% of the total.
Source: The Japan National Tourism Organization, November 15, 2023.
