Tokyo: Japan is on track to welcome a record 35 million foreign visitors in 2024, according to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The surge is attributed to the weakened yen, making travel to Japan more affordable. In the first half of 2024 alone, around 17.78 million visitors arrived, setting a new six-month record.
June 2024 saw a new monthly record with 3.14 million foreign visitors, a 51.2 percent increase from the previous year. The largest number of visitors came from South Korea, followed by China and Taiwan. South Korean visitors numbered 703,300, up 29.0 percent from the previous year, while Chinese visitors more than tripled to 660,900. Taiwanese visitors increased by 47.7 percent to 574,500.
Economic boost
tourism is now a major economic driver for Japan, with the amount of tourism-related spending inbound reaching 1.75 trillion dollars ($10.8 billion) in the initial period of the year 2024. Tourism is Japan’s second-largest export, trailing only automobiles and surpassing other products such as semiconductors according to information obtained from Oxford Economics and Fortune’s calculations. This marks the first time since 2019, that the sector is in such a high place.
Norihiro Yamaguchi, senior Japan economist at Oxford Economics, notes that the tourism industry grew rapidly after Japan started to ease COVID-19 restrictions beginning in September 2022. In April of 2023, all restrictions were removed which led to an accelerated increase in visitors. The weakened yen, which is currently at record lows compared to the U.S. dollar, has increased the demand by making traveling to Japan cheaper for visitors from abroad.
The Instagram effect
Beyond economics In addition to the economic factors, the increase in Japanese tourism is also driven by the need for exclusive and Instagram-worthy experiences. Jeremy Bek, global head of Japanese travel company Rakuten Travel, emphasizes that people today are looking for more than food and shopping. “It’s the Instagram culture,” Bek states. “It’s about what people see you eat and do. And Japan is beautiful, with so many stunning things to share on Instagram.”
Addressing over-tourism
The rapid increase in tourism has led to challenges such as traffic congestion, pollution, and disruptions to daily life for residents. Prime Minister Kishida has pledged to address these issues by promoting sustainable tourism and managing the flow of visitors more effectively. Measures include the introduction of a new "pre-clearance" system from January 2024 to streamline entry procedures for foreign visitors.
Managing visitor behavior
To mitigate the negative impact of overtourism, 20 regions across Japan have been selected as models for promoting responsible tourist behavior. These areas will implement measures to educate visitors on local rules and expectations. The government plans to expand this initiative to six more areas and develop comprehensive guidelines by the end of the year.
Future goals
Looking ahead, the Japanese government aims to attract 60 million foreign visitors annually by 2030. Prime Minister Kishida emphasized the importance of expanding inbound tourism and developing sustainable travel areas to achieve this goal.