Japan saw a record of nearly 37 million foreign visitors in 2024, the latest data from the Japan National Tourism Organization shows, thanks to a weaker yen and more inbound flights from countries such as China.
The number of foreign arrivals had already topped 2023¡¯s total by September and broke the annual record set in 2019 of 33.4 million visitors within only 11 months.
The full-year number in 2024 represents a 47.1% year-to-year increase and was up 15.6% compared with 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic curbed transportation across the globe.
There were nearly 3.5 million foreign visitors in December alone, which broke the single-month record that was only set two months earlier.
An increasing number of visitors from China ¡ª the second-largest group after South Korea ¡ª contributed to the trend. The number of travelers from China nearly doubled from a year before and reached close to 7 million in 2024, though it still fell 27.2% short compared to the pre-pandemic level in 2019. The JNTO cited more direct flights as a main factor behind the increase.
The JNTO also mentioned the increasing number of visitors from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, the United States and Australia as factors behind the record-breaking number in 2024.
Foreign visitors spent a combined total of ?8.1 trillion ($51 billion) in 2024, up 53.4% compared with 2023, and up 69.1% compared with 2019. The 2024 total is equal to an average of ?227,000 per visitor, according to a separate release on Wednesday by the Japan Tourism Agency.
Visitors from China topped the list by spending a combined total of ?1.73 trillion, or 21.3% of all money spent by foreign visitors. It was followed by visitors from Taiwan with ?1.09 trillion, South Korea with ?963.2 billion, the United States with ?902.1 billion and Hong Kong with ?658.4 billion. The top five territories accounted for 65.7% of total spending by foreign visitors.
Meanwhile, visitors from the United Kingdom spent an average of ?383,000 per person, the most among all countries. Those from Australia came in second with an average of ?382,000.
The report also concludes that visitors from Europe, the United States and Australia tend to spend more on lodging, while those from China tend to purchase more goods.
There were 13 million Japanese nationals who traveled abroad in 2024 ¡ª a 35.2% year-to-year increase, but still 35.2% short of pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
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