Japan received more than 36.8 million international tourist arrivals in 2024, topping 2019’s record of nearly 32 million, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.
The 2024 arrivals represents an astounding 47% increase over the 2023 figures of more than 25 million global tourists.
That is partly thanks to government policies to promote attractions from Mount Fuji’s majestic slopes to shrines and attractions in more far-flung parts of the country.
Another factor is the cheap yen, which has plunged against other currencies over the past three years by some 30%, making shopping especially luxury goods, more affordable. Flight routes to Japan also resumed after the pandemic.
Largest source markets
Visitors from South Korea make up the highest number of international arrivals last year at over 8.8 million visitors, a 26% increase from 2023.
The second-highest number of international arrivals was from China at over 6.9 million, which is a remarkable 187% increase from 2023.
Visitors from Taiwan make up the third highest number of foreign tourists at over six million (43.8% increase from 2023), while the United States ranked fourth with over 2.7 million visitors (33% increase from 2023), and Hong Kong ranked fifth with over 2.6 million (26.9% increase from 2023).
Tourists spending breaks record
“All the (tourism) indicators are set to rise: contribution to the Japanese economy, increasing numbers and visitor spending,” says Julia Simpson, president and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council, adding that the economic benefit to Japan is expected to reach nearly 44.6 trillion yen (US$291.5 billion), a 5.7% increase over the 2019 peak, while employment is forecasted to surpass 6 million jobs — 200,000 more than in the previous high point, as reported in Japan Times.
The total amount of spending by international visitors was up 69% to record-breaking eight trillion yen (US$51 billion) compared to 2019. Travelers from North America and Europe spent more on food and accommodation, while Asian tourists spent more on shopping.
As such, the government has set an ambitious target of almost doubling tourist numbers to 60 million annually by 2030.
Over-tourism
Industry experts noted that tourism is now second only to vehicle exports in terms of earnings. Japan with a population 124 million, still receives far fewer tourists than top destination France, which has a population of 68 million and welcomed 100 million visitors in 2023.
So its over-tourism woes are mainly caused by tourism to specific cities. For example, the number of foreign visitors to Tokyo has doubled since 2019, and was up 1.5 times in Osaka. Authorities say they want to spread sightseers more evenly around the country, and to avoid a bottleneck of visitors eager to snap spring cherry blossoms or vivid autumn colours.
National government steps to manage tourism congestion have focused on enticing international travelers to explore regions where visitors rarely go. Studies show only a handful of historically popular areas in Japan experienced overtourism in 2024. By prefecture, the inbound tourist visit rate in 2023 was highest in Tokyo at 48.6%, followed by Osaka (43.5%), Chiba (36.1%), Kyoto (33.7%) and Fukuoka (13.4%).
Steps being taken to increase sustainable tourism
Launched in April 2023, the government’s Tourism Nation Promotion Plan has three key pillars: to achieve more sustainable tourism, to boost tourism consumption by both international and domestic travellers, and to expand travel to less-visited areas.
Last summer marked the inaugural use of gates at the fifth station of the Yoshida Trail on Mount Fuji, a measure that limits the number of climbers to 4,000 daily, and the implementation of a climbing fee of 2,000 yen (US$14) per person to reduce environmental damage caused by excessive crowds.
In Kyoto, a dedicated “hands free bus” between Kyoto Station, hotels and other facilities in the city was launched to encourage visitors to leave their luggage at their accommodation before beginning their sightseeing.
Tourists are causing traffic congestion and littering causing Kyoto to announce plans to hike accommodation taxes. Visitors will also be banned from entering private alleys in Kyoto’s famous geisha district due to tourists harassing the geisha.
Osaka installed solar panel-powered bins to combat an increase in trash in popular tourist sites. The technology senses when rubbish is building up, compressing it by around 20% and alerting workers to empty bins before they are full.
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum introduced an online ticket system and extended its opening hours for visitors who book online in a bid to ease congestion.
In luxury travel, meanwhile, the public and private sectors are working to establish more high-end hotels across Japan, to stimulate regional tourism. A pilot project is underway to attract high-end hotels in four national parks. The work is part of a wider plan to establish at least one luxury resort hotel in each of the country’s 35 national parks by fiscal 2031.
