Japan Reports Record Number of International Visitor Arrivals

[HD video below] Japan welcomed 2.29 million foreign visitors in July 2016, 19.7% higher than in July 2015 and the highest ever record for not only July, but for any single month.

The previous record for the month was set in July 2015 when 1,918,000 foreigners visited Japan.

The previous largest number of visitors in a single month was set in April 2016 with 2,082,000 foreign arrivals.

The number of foreign visitors grew by 26.7% from January to July reaching 14.01 million and exceeding the same period in 2015 by 2,952,000.

In July, 1,427,000 Japanese traveled overseas, an 8.9% increase on the previous year. On a year-on-year basis, 4.5% more Japanese traveled abroad than compared to January – July 2015 with 403,000 travelers more than the same period in 2015.

Outbound bookings at major travel agencies in April 2016 were 2.5% below the same period of 2015 and May saw a 10.9% decrease year-on-year basis.

The Golden Week holidays was not contributory to taking long leaves and the sense of worry about international affairs, among other things, resulted in a smaller number of bookings compared to the same period of 2015.

Major travel agencies reported a 20.5% increase in inbound bookings for April 2016 and 15.6% more visitors in May. The visa waivers for Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and other East Asian countries contributed to this steady growth of visitors from the region.

Domestic Market

In April, domestic travel was 2.4% higher than the same month in 2015 and 7.0% lower than in May.

Although Hokkaido and Tohoku enjoyed steady demand, the difficulty of taking long holidays during the Golden Week and the decrease in demand caused by the Kumamoto earthquake were major factors in the smaller number of bookings compared to the same period of 2015.

Japan Tourism Update - HD Video Interview

Exclusive HD video interview with Mr. Hiroshi Sawabe, Executive Director of the Office of International Tourism, at JATA (Japan Association of Travel Agents.

See more: HD Videos and also: Pictures from Soma and Shinchi, Fukushima, Japan. 

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