According to data released by the Japan National Tourism Organization on December 20, the total number of visitors to Japan this year had climbed to 22.33 million by the end of November, the first time since the start of the pandemic that the number exceeded the 20 million mark.
Detailed statistics reveal that in November, Japan received a total of 2.44 million foreign tourists, a slight decrease compared to the same period last year, but basically unchanged compared to the same period in 2019. November is usually the low season for tourism in Japan, as there are fewer holidays and school holidays around the world and the best time to see the autumn leaves has passed.
In terms of nationality and geographical distribution of tourists, the largest number of tourists from South Korea was nearly 650,000 in November, which is three times the number in November 2019. It was followed by tourists from Taiwan Province at 403,500, up 29%。
According to **, the total number of visitors to Japan is expected to reach about 25 million this year. Kyodo News pointed out that this recovery is mainly due to the cancellation of epidemic prevention measures at border ports in response to the epidemic, the gradual resumption of international routes, and the depreciation of the yen, which have jointly promoted the gradual recovery of Japan's tourism industry.
However, it is worth noting that the pace of recovery of tourists from Chinese mainland is still relatively slow. In November, just over 260,000 Chinese mainland tourists visited Japan, a figure just over 30 percent of the same period in 2019.