International arrivals have offset the slow recovery of Chinese travelers, still 65% below October 2019 figures.
TOKYO: Visitors to Japan surpassed pre-pandemic levels in October, official data showed on Wednesday, marking a full recovery in arrivals for the first time since border controls were eased last year.
The number of foreign business and leisure travelers rose to 2. 52 million last month from 2. 18 million in September, according to data from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO).
Visitor numbers rose to 100. 8% of 2019 levels before the Covid-19 outbreak led to restrictions around the world.
Japan ended some of the world’s strictest border measures in October 2022 by resuming visa-waiving for many countries, and then got rid of all remaining controls in May.
Arrivals reached 2 million in the five months through October, boosted by a weaker yen that makes Japan an attractive destination.
October’s figures were helped by the resumption of overseas flights at 80% of pre-pandemic levels, as well as demand from Southeast Asia, North America, Europe and Australia, the JNTO said. Travelers from Canada, Mexico and Germany reached levels unprecedented in any month.
Arrivals from other countries are helping to offset the slow recovery in the number of guests from mainland China, which is still 65% lower than in October 2019. That year, the Chinese accounted for about one-third of all guests and 40% of all tourism. spending in Japan.
Nearly 20 million visitors came to Japan in the first 10 months of 2023, according to JNTO data, with a record high of around 32 million for all of 2019.