Post by : Badri Ariffin

Japan welcomed more than 20 million international visitors during the first half of the year for the second consecutive year. However, the total number of arrivals declined by 1% compared to the same period last year.

The decrease came mainly because of a sharp fall in visitors from mainland China after the Chinese government urged its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan.

Sharp Decline in Chinese Tourist Arrivals

During the first six months of the year, 2,058,200 visitors arrived from mainland China, marking a 56.4% decline from the same period a year earlier.

The drop in Chinese arrivals was the biggest factor behind the overall decline in Japan's inbound tourism during the first half of the year.

South Korea and Taiwan Record Strong Growth

Despite the fall in Chinese visitors, Japan saw strong growth from other major tourism markets.

A total of 5,675,100 visitors arrived from South Korea, an increase of 18.6% compared with the previous year.

Meanwhile, 3,972,200 visitors came from Taiwan, representing a 20.9% rise over the same period.

June Visitor Numbers Continue to Decline

In June, Japan recorded an estimated 3,148,600 inbound visitors, down 6.8% from the same month last year.

This marked the third consecutive month of year-on-year declines in monthly visitor arrivals.

South Korea and Taiwan Set June Records

Although overall visitor numbers fell in June, Japan recorded the highest-ever June visitor totals from both South Korea and Taiwan, highlighting continued growth from these two key tourism markets.

#Travel News #Japan News #Global Updates #Asia Travel