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 South America Times.

More Information

18 ℃

Fair / Windy in Buenos Aires/Aeroparque

International

Section

Michigan man sentenced to prison term for keeping dead wife in freezer

MOUNT PLEASANT, Michigan: This week, a judge sentenced a Michigan man who kept his dead wife's body in a freezer ...

US CDC says life expectancy for newborns in 2022 gained a year

ATLANTA, Georgia: After two consecutive years of declines mainly caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, babies born in the U.S. in ...

Three more Israeli troops die in Gaza conflict, death toll hits 400

The number of soldiers in the Israeli army killed in the current Israel-Hamas war has topped 400. Three hundred and ...

Detention extended by Russian court of WSJ's US reporter

MOSCOW, Russia: A Russian court has extended the detention of Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. reporter for the Wall Street Journal, ...

Casualties mount again in Gaza as bombardments gather pace

Israel intensified its deadly bombardment of the Gaza Strip Saturday as renewed fighting with Hamas entered a second day following ...

Nikki Haley's 2024 Republican presidential bid endorsed by Koch Group

ARLINGTON, Virginia: This week, the conservative U.S. political network Americans for Prosperity Action (AFP Action), led by billionaire Charles Koch, ...