Japan records best-ever monthly visitors in major boost for tourism; record numbers arriving from India, Germany, Taiwan

Monthly visitors to Japan hit a record high in March and crossed 3 million for the first time ever. Record numbers of tourists arrived from India, US and more.

More than three million foreigners visited Japan in March, a record for a single month, government data showed Wednesday in a major boost for its tourism sector. The total of 3.08 million represented an increase of 69.5 percent from March 2023 and a 11.6-percent gain compared to March 2019 before the pandemic battered global tourism, the Japan National Tourism Organization said.

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

"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. Tourists also took advantage of the yen's slide to a three-decade low.

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.