(Tokyo) More than three million foreign visitors entered Japan in March, an all-time one-month record for the archipelago, according to data provided Wednesday by the National Tourism Organization (JNTO).
This represents an increase of 69.5% compared to the same month last year, and 11.6% compared to March 2019, the pre-COVID-19 period of reference.
This is the first time that the milestone of three million foreign visitors has been crossed in one month in Japan, said the JNTO.
Beyond the strong rebound in global tourism after the years of pandemic, the period of Japanese cherry blossoms (sakura) and the Easter holidays abroad contributed to this record.
PHOTO PHILIP FONG, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
Just like the current great weakness of the yen against the dollar and the euro, which makes Japan relatively cheap for Americans and Europeans.
The largest contingent of visitors in March came from South Korea (663,100 people, +13.2% compared to March 2019), but much larger increases were noted for visitors from the United States (+64 .3%) and European countries such as Germany (+66.1%).
Monthly visitor numbers to Japan have been exceeding 2019 levels since last October.
The archipelago was completely closed to foreigners during the pandemic, but the government has been trying since 2022 to bring them back en masse, considering them a welcome reinforcement to support consumption in the country.
But there is another side of the coin. Thus the city of Kyoto, the former imperial capital, recently decided to prohibit access to certain private roads in Gion, its famous geisha district, sometimes harassed by tourists seeking to take photos of them at all costs.
And from this summer, a daily quota of people will apply to take the most popular path to climb the legendary Mount Fuji, near Tokyo, while charging almost $18 (2,000 yen) for access.
As for the mayor of Osaka, the main metropolis in western Japan, he said he was considering imposing a tax on foreign tourists, in addition to the existing hotel tax.