Japan expecting 35 million foreign visitors in 2024: PM

Japan could see a record 35 million foreign visitors this year, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday, with their spending in the country expected to grow to an all-time high of about 8 trillion yen ($50 billion) due to a weak yen.

With around 17.78 million people having likely visited Japan from January to June, the highest for the six-month period, Kishida pledged to take steps to deal with “overtourism,” which has triggered traffic jams, pollution, hindrances to residents and other problems brought about by the influx of travelers.

The annual total of people visiting Japan from overseas in 2024 is projected to exceed the previous record of 31.88 million registered in 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic, with the government aiming to attract 60 million foreign visitors annually by 2030.

“We will strongly push ahead with expanding inbound tourism and developing sustainable travel areas,” Kyodo News quoted Kishida as saying during a meeting with relevant Cabinet ministers.

From April to June, foreign visitors spent a quarterly record of about 2.1 trillion yen on accommodation and shopping, boosted by the yen’s depreciation.

The number of foreign visitors to Japan totaled around 3.14 million in June, up 51.2 per cent from a year earlier and marking a new monthly record, according to monthly data released Friday by the Japan National Tourism organisation.