TOKYO, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Inbound tourism in Japan reached new heights in 2024, with visitor number and spending both hitting record highs as a weaker currency made the country an attractive destination, data showed Wednesday.
Inbound visitor spending in 2024 surged 53.4 percent year on year to 8.14 trillion yen (about 51.8 billion U.S. dollars), surpassing the previous record of 5.31 trillion yen in 2023, according to the Japan Tourism Agency.
The weaker yen, a significant rise in visitor numbers, and increased accommodation costs contributed to the record-breaking figures.
Average spending per visitor rose 6.8 percent year on year to 227,242 yen. By country or region, China led the spending with around 20 percent of the total.
Separate data from the Japan National Tourism Organization showed some 36.87 million foreign visitors came to Japan in 2024, up 47.1 percent from the previous year. December alone saw 3.49 million visitors, the highest monthly total on record.
The Japanese government has set a target of attracting 60 million annual visitors and 15 trillion yen in spending by 2030. ■
