According to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Japan may see a record 35 million foreign visitors this year. The weakening yen will likely increase foreign visitors’ spending to an all-time high of roughly 8 trillion yen ($50 billion).
As the number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a record high of 17.78 million between January and June, Kishida promised to take action against “overtourism,” resulting in traffic congestion, pollution, obstacles for locals, and other issues related to the influx of tourists.
The number of foreign visitors to Japan is expected to surpass the 31.88 million recorded in 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic in 2024. The government hopes to have 60 million foreign visitors per year by 2030.
According to Kyodo News, Kishida stated during a meeting with pertinent Cabinet ministers, “We will strongly push ahead with expanding inbound tourism and developing sustainable travel areas.”
Thanks in part to the depreciating value of the yen, foreign visitors spent a record-breaking quarter of 2.1 trillion yen on lodging and shopping from April to June.
According to monthly data released on Friday by the Japan National Tourism organisation, there were approximately 3.14 million foreign visitors to Japan in June, up 51.2% from the same month last year and setting a new monthly record.
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