Japan sees record visitors for second straight month on weak yen

FILE PHOTO: Tourists ride a boat next to cherry blossoms at Chidorigafuchi Park in Tokyo, Japan April 4, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo

Source: REUTERS

Japan set a second-straight monthly record for visitors in July, official data showed on Friday, as the weak yen and summer holidays propelled a tourism boom.

The number of foreign visitors for business and leisure was 3.29 million, an all-time high for any month and topping the previous record of 3.14 million in June, data from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) showed.

School holidays in East Asia and Europe contributed to significant increases from those regions, the JNTO said. More than 21 million visitors have arrived in Japan through July, on pace to smash through the annual record of 31.9 million in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic shut global borders.

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

A woman walks past flags and towels bearing the images of Brazil's President and presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and right-wing senator and presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro for sale in a street in Brasiilia on October 22, 2026.

A wake-up call: The countdown for Latin American democracy — Opinion

Although the yen has strengthened recently, it touched a 38-year low against the dollar last month, making Japan a bargain destination. Out of 23 markets tracked by the JNTO, travellers from 19 regions set new records for July arrivals.

This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.

By Reuters