Japan's tourism industry has been at an almost complete standstill for over two years due to the pandemic.
Japan's tourism industry is improving despite a recent heat wave and the pandemic impact. According to the Japan Tourism Association, 2.07 million foreign visitors arrived in the country in June. This is the first time the two million mark has been reached since February 2020. For over two years, the tourism sector in Japan has experienced a near-total halt due to the pandemic.
Tourist numbers have steadily increased in Japan since the government reintroduced visa-free travel for many countries in October and abolished remaining corona controls on May 8. In the first half of this year, 10.7 million foreign tourists were counted. In 2019, Japan had a record-breaking 32 million visitors before the pandemic.
The decrease in the yen's value has made tourism more attractive, with foreign vacations being cheaper than in a long time. According to the association's data, the number of visitors from the United States, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East has already surpassed 2019. In June, the number of guests from China, Japan's tourism most crucial tourist group, increased by 55 percent to 204,500 compared to the previous month. However, it still needs to catch up to 2019.