According to data released by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) on Wednesday, Japan welcomed 3.49 million visitors in December, an all-time high for any month. It capped off a record year for the tourism industry in this country, with 36.87 million tourists visiting in total in 2024. That’s a 47.1% increase from last year when 25.07 million people from abroad arrived at these shores. The previous annual record was 33.4 million set prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. The number of foreign tourists in Japan last year topped 2019’s total within 11 months.
Tourists in Japan Spent a Record ¥8.14 Trillion in 2024
Leading the way were tourists from South Korea (8.82 million), followed by China (6.98 million) and Taiwan (6.04 million). The biggest spenders were Chinese tourists, who reportedly splashed out ¥1.73 trillion. That was more than 20% of the overall total of ¥8.14 trillion. It’s the first time the number has surpassed the ¥8 trillion mark and is much higher than the previous record of ¥5.31 trillion, set in 2023. The largest portion of last year’s spending went on accommodation (33.6%), ahead of shopping (29.5%) and dining (21.5%). On average, tourists spent around ¥227,000 per person.
The boom in spending has been spurred, in part, by Japan’s weak currency. Last year, the yen briefly weakened to 160 to the US dollar for the first time in 34 years. There has also been an increase in the number of inbound flights from countries like China. The rise in the number of tourists is good news for the Japanese government, which has set an ambitious target of attracting 60 million foreign visitors annually by 2030. Many, though, are worried about overtourism as visitors often flock to the same cities and sites.
Kyoto To Raise Accommodation Tax in 2026
One of the most popular destinations is, of course, Kyoto. On Tuesday, Mayor Koji Matsui announced that the city was planning to increase its accommodation tax for people staying at hotels and other accommodations from March 2026. The fee for those paying between ¥6,000 yen and ¥19,999 will increase from ¥200 to ¥400. For a stay between ¥20,000 and ¥49,999, the tax will rise from ¥500 to ¥1,000. The levy for a ¥50,000 or more stay, which is currently ¥1,000, will increase to ¥4,000. A ¥10,000 tax will also be charged for a stay that costs over ¥100,000.
