Foreign tourist arrivals finally exceed pre-pandemic level
Last month, inbound tourist arrivals exceeded pre-pandemic levels for the first time. A total of 2.51 million foreigners visited Japan, up 0.8% from October 2019. The rate of increase is 28% if tourist numbers from mainland China are excluded.Read more
Aussie tourists turn their back on Niseko
Australians have been a long staple of Niseko’s winter crowd. But, recent tourist numbers show a shifting trend as Aussies shun the slopes of Niseko for the ski fields in Honshu.
In 2018, foreign tourists spent a total of 465,000 nights in Niseko. Visitors from Hong Kong, Singapore and other countries in Asia are up, while visitor numbers from Australia are down by much as 20% since 2015.
Foreign hotel guests in Hakone reach record high in 2018
In 2018, 21.26 million tourists visited the hot spring resort town of Hakone, down 1.2% from 2017. According to the town, the drop was attributed to a particularly harsh summer between July and September which saw people limiting day trips.
Foreign visitors to Japan exceed 31 million in 2018
The number of foreign visitors to Japan in 2018 is expected to have reached 31.19 million, making it the highest annual number in Japan’s history and an 8.7% increase from 2017. Foreign tourist numbers have increased year-on-year for the past seven years.
Former British Embassy Villa in Nikko to be open to public
Tochigi Prefecture is making plans to restore and open up the former villa of the British Embassy on Lake Chuzenji to the public as a way to promote tourism in the Nikko area.
The prefecture has allocated 6 million Yen in their 2012 budget to start work on analyzing the foundations and earthquake-resistance of the villa. After carrying out any necessary repairs, the villa is scheduled to be open to the public from 2014.Read more
Foreign visitors to Mt. Fuji area down 77%
Foreign visitors represent an important of the tourism industry in the areas surrounding Mt. Fuji. The Mt. Fuji Visitor Center in Yamanashi Prefecture reported that the number of foreign visitors to the center between April and September, 2011, fell 77% from a year earlier to 20,650.
Chinese tourists typically make up the majority of foreign visitors to the Mt. Fuji area, however, the number of Chinese visitors fell by 78% to 10,300. Fuji Kyuko, a tourism company that operates in conjunction with the Visitor Center, had opened a sales office in Shanghai in July, 2010, but the effects of the March disaster continue to have a negative effect on their business.Read more