At 2.52 million, Japanese tourists past pre-pandemic levels in October

Robert Besser
20 Nov 2023, 08:13 GMT+10

Official data released this week showed that visitors to Japan in October exceeded pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, indicating a full recovery for the first time since border controls were relaxed last year
Data from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) showed that the number of foreign visitors for business and leisure rose to 2.52 million in October, from 2.18 million in September
Visitor numbers rose to 100.8 percent of 2019 levels before the start of COVID-19, which led to the adoption of travel restrictions around the world

TOKYO, Japan: Official data released this week showed that visitors to Japan in October exceeded pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, indicating a full recovery for the first time since border controls were relaxed last year.

Data from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) showed that the number of foreign visitors for business and leisure rose to 2.52 million in October, from 2.18 million in September.

Visitor numbers rose to 100.8 percent of 2019 levels before the start of COVID-19, which led to the adoption of travel restrictions around the world.

Ending some of the world's strictest border restrictions in October 2022, Japan resumed visa-free travel for many countries, eventually scrapping all remaining controls in May.

Boosted by a weakening yen that made Japan a cost-effective destination, visitor arrivals exceeded two million for each of the five months through October.

The JNTO said that the October figures were supported by a recovery in international flights to 80 percent of pre-pandemic levels, as well as strong demand from Southeast Asia, North America, Europe and Australia, while travelers from Canada, Mexico, and Germany reached all-time highs for any month.

However, visitors from mainland China are still 65 percent below October 2019 figures, when Chinese visitors accounted for nearly a third of all visitors and 40 percent of all tourist spending in Japan.

JNTO data showed that some 20 million people visited Japan in the first ten months of 2023, compared with the record of around 32 million in 2019.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Travel Trade.

More Information

30 ℃

Partly Cloudy in Seletar

Business

Section

Experts decry New Zealand government move to lift tobacco ban

LONDON - Health experts and tobacco campaigners have strongly criticized New Zealand's decision to repeal laws that aimed to ban ...

Tech stocks slide while Dow Jones hits high for 2023

NEW YORK, New York - The Dow Jones index was the standout on U.S. financial markets on Thursday with a ...

US shoppers spend $38 billion online during Thanksgiving weekend

WASHINGTON D.C.: Despite the ongoing economic uncertainty, major discounts during the Thanksgiving weekend enticed U.S. shoppers, who spent some US$38 ...

Thailand will downgrade growth forecast for 2023 to 2.7 percent

BANGKOK, Thailand: This week, Thailand's Deputy Finance Minister Krisada Chinavicharana said after a weaker-than-expected third quarter, the country will downgrade ...

China pledges to deepen bilateral trade relations with Vietnam

BEIJING, China: The country's commerce ministry said that during a meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Ho ...

U.S. stocks advance as U.S. Treasury yields retreat

NEW YORK, New York - Retreating bond yields and a higher-then-expected GDP reading for the third quarter boosted U.S. stocks ...

Airlines

Section