Japan welcomed record 3 million tourists in March, as yen’s three-decade low lures travellers from US, India, Germany

3 million foreigners visited in March, an increase of 69.5 per cent from March 2023 and an 11.6-per cent gain compared to March 2019 before the pandemic

Tourism to Japan has been booming since pandemic-era border restrictions were lifted, and the government has been working hard to boost visitor numbers

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Visitors walk along the Sannenzaka approach in Kyoto, Japan, on Saturday. For the first time ever, Japan welcomed 3 million tourists in a month. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 5:21pm, 17 Apr 2024

More than three million foreigners visited Japan in March, a record for a single month, government data showed on Wednesday, as tourists flocked to see its famous cherry blossoms and take advantage of the yen’s slide to a three-decade low.

The total of 3.08 million represented an increase of 69.5 per cent from March 2023 and an 11.6-per cent gain compared to March 2019 before the pandemic battered global tourism, the Japan National Tourism Organization said.

“This was the highest single month on record and the first time the number of visitors exceeded three million,” the government agency said.

On top of generally rising tourism demand, factors included the spring cherry blossom season and the Easter break helped boost visitor numbers.

Record numbers arrived from overseas, including from India, Germany, Taiwan and the United States.

Tourism to Japan has been booming since pandemic-era border restrictions were lifted, and the government has been working hard to boost visitor numbers.

But this has not been universally welcomed, including in Kyoto, where locals have complained of snap-happy tourists harassing the city’s immaculately dressed geisha.