Japan witnesses dip in tourist footfall even after reopening borders for first time in more than 2 years

The number of foreign arrivals totaled 120,400 compared with 147,000 in May, according to data released from the Japan National Tourism Organization on Wednesday. Japan officially began accepting tourists on June 10, doubling the daily entry limit to 20,000 visitors.

Foreign visitors to Japan fell in June from the previous month, even after the country began taking steps to reopen its borders to tourists for the first time in more than two years.

The number of foreign arrivals totalled 120,400 compared with 147,000 in May, according to data released from the Japan National Tourism Organisation on Wednesday. Japan officially began accepting tourists on June 10, doubling the daily entry limit to 20,000 visitors.

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While the tally doesn’t provide a breakdown on the type of visitors, the decline suggests Japan isn’t seeing a flood of tourists even as a weaker yen makes visits more affordable. Tourists are still limited to group tours with strict controls -- including mandatory mask-wearing, temperature checks and limited free movement -- appearing to be making it difficult to plan for and attract visitors.

The figure also trailed total visitors in April, when Japan increased the daily number of international arrivals allowed after opening its doors to students, business people and other workers in March.

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The biggest number of visitors came from Vietnam, followed by China, then South Korea. Before the pandemic, Japan was at the peak of a tourism boom, with inbound visitors reaching a record in 2019. Now, the island nation is one of the last remaining rich economies with strict border controls. Visitors in June were down 96% compared with the same month three years ago.

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