According to the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO), 3,292,500 tourists visited Japan in July, a 41.9% rise over the previous year and a record for the second consecutive month. This spike was fuelled by robust summer vacation demand and a weak yen, making Japan an appealing destination.
The total number of July visitors likewise exceeded pre-pandemic levels, up 10.1% from July 2019. In the first seven months of 2024, Japan received 21.06 million overseas visitors, the quickest rate of exceeding 20 million ever recorded. This surge positions Japan to beat its previous yearly high of 31.9 million visitors, achieved in 2019.
A huge increase in tourists from mainland China was observed, with a 147.8% increase to 776,500 visits, the highest single group. South Korea followed closely behind with 757,700 visitors, while Taiwan also contributed significantly to the tourism growth.
The weak yen, which recently fell to a 38-year low versus the dollar, has made Japan an even more tempting destination for tourists. Among the 23 markets tracked by the JNTO, 19 locations set new arrival records in July, demonstrating the strong global interest in visiting Japan.
