Over 3 Million Foreign Visitors Came To Japan In March

A record 3,081,600 inbound travellers came to Japan in March.

 

This is the first time monthly arrivals have exceeded 3 million persons and is 11.6% higher than inbound numbers for March 2019, the last spring before the Covid pandemic.

The numbers, which were compiled by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) using immigration control statistics compiled by the Ministry of Justice, show record high arrivals for March from 17 of 23 defined markets, including Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Inbound arrivals from the United States, Canada, Mexico and several countries in Europe were record highs for any single month.

March’s unprecedented numbers follow a record-setting February and December 2023, with January 2024 statistically tied for arrivals with January 2019, underscoring a strong and sustained recovery for Japan’s tourism industry following Covid.

While a boon to many businesses in Japan, the swelling numbers of tourists does create its own set of challenges, including in Niseko.

For instance, The Hokkaido Shimbun recently reported that the number of traffic accidents over the 2023/24 winter season increased by 133 compared to the winter before, with 45% of them involving foreigners, many of whom may be unfamiliar with driving on winter roads.

From 1 January through the end of March of this year, an estimated 8,558,100 foreigners have arrived in Japan, over half a million more than the 8,053,797 which are estimated to have arrived during the same period in 2019.

Traffic accident source:
The Hokkaido Shimbun – 17 April 2024

Image:
Niseko Tourism

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