Japan sees record-breaking increase in post-pandemic tourist numbers

In the first half of 2024, Japan has seen a remarkable increase in foreign visitors, reaching a new record of 1.78 million, which surpasses pre-pandemic levels by a million, the national tourism organisation said Friday.

The weakened yen has contributed to this surge, enticing tourists to indulge in a wide array of Japanese experiences, from traditional kimonos to high-quality knives and exquisite cuisine, sparking concerns about overtourism in popular destinations like Kyoto and Mount Fuji.

Furthermore, South Korea led the pack with 4.4 million visitors, followed by China with around three million, a significant fivefold increase from the previous year, AFP reported.

Visitors from Taiwan and United States rank third and fourth respectively in terms of visitor numbers.

Over the whole of 2023, 25 million visitors came to Japan, after strict pandemic-era border restrictions were lifted.

The country has set an ambitious goal of luring 60 million tourists a year by 2030 — around double 2019's full-year record of 31.88 million.

Last month, Ichiro Takahashi, head of the Japan National Tourism Organization, called the target "a figure that we can very much achieve by making the right efforts".

"There are still many little-known places in Japan that are left unexplored by tourists from overseas — I believe Japan has infinite tourism resources," he told reporters.

However, some residents are fed up with unruly behaviour and etiquette breaches by the tourist crowds.

In a town near Mount Fuji in May, authorities mounted a large barrier at a popular viewing spot next to a convenience store in an attempt to deter photo-taking.

The mayor of Himeji, a city in western Japan famous for world heritage site Himeji Castle, has said authorities are considering making fees for overseas tourists four times higher than those for locals.

New crowd control measures have been put in place on the most popular hiking trail on Mount Fuji.