In 2022, the number of international tourists visiting Tokyo in Japan amounted to around 3.3 million which was considerably below the value achieved in 2019. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions and bans were placed on international travel, resulting in a low number of inbound travelers to Japan.
Why did foreign visitor numbers in Tokyo increase during the past decade?
If we look at pre-COVID-19 times, foreign visitor numbers significantly increased in the whole of Japan during the past decade. One of the reasons for this might be the Japanese government’s endeavors to promote tourism and proliferate Japanese culture, perhaps best embodied by the marketing term “Cool Japan” developed by Japan’s government. Various policies and long-term projects, such as the “Inbound Travel Promotion Project”, or the “Promotion of MICE Hosting and Attraction”, had been devised and enacted to attract international tourists and make Japan a tourism hub. The government started investing substantially in tourism more than a decade ago, as it realized the potential of tourism to invigorate the Japanese economy. The improvement of facilities and infrastructure to meet foreign expectations were accompanied by the relaxation of visa entry requirements, which resulted in heightened inbound travel.
Most international visitors to Japan come from Asian countries, with China, South Korea, and Taiwan occupying the first three places. Visitor numbers from the U.S. are the only exception to the otherwise predominant Asian traveler base, with figures surpassing the one million mark regularly.
Number of inbound tourists to Tokyo, Japan from 2013 to 2022
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Tokyo Metropolitan Government. (June 22, 2023). Number of inbound tourists to Tokyo, Japan from 2013 to 2022 (in millions) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved June 18, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/914251/inbound-tourist-numbers-tokyo-japan/
Tokyo Metropolitan Government. "Number of inbound tourists to Tokyo, Japan from 2013 to 2022 (in millions)." Chart. June 22, 2023. Statista. Accessed June 18, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/914251/inbound-tourist-numbers-tokyo-japan/
Tokyo Metropolitan Government. (2023). Number of inbound tourists to Tokyo, Japan from 2013 to 2022 (in millions). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: June 18, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/914251/inbound-tourist-numbers-tokyo-japan/
Tokyo Metropolitan Government. "Number of Inbound Tourists to Tokyo, Japan from 2013 to 2022 (in Millions)." Statista, Statista Inc., 22 Jun 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/914251/inbound-tourist-numbers-tokyo-japan/
Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Number of inbound tourists to Tokyo, Japan from 2013 to 2022 (in millions) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/914251/inbound-tourist-numbers-tokyo-japan/ (last visited June 18, 2024)
Number of inbound tourists to Tokyo, Japan from 2013 to 2022 (in millions) [Graph], Tokyo Metropolitan Government, June 22, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/914251/inbound-tourist-numbers-tokyo-japan/