Japan sees record 31 million tourists in 2018

TOKYO: Japan welcomed a record 31 million unfamiliar visitors in 2018, central information showed Wednesday, as a nation gears adult to horde a Rugby World Cup this year and a 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The world’s third largest economy, also famous for a ancient temples and colourful cocktail culture, welcomed 31.2 million visitors in 2018, adult 8.7 percent from a prior year, according to a Japan National Tourism Organisation.

Fellow Asian countries dominated a inbound traveller figures, with some-more than 8 million Chinese tourists (up 13.9 percent) and 7.5 million South Koreans (up 5.6 percent) visiting Japan.

Taiwanese tourists were next, accounting for 4.8 million people.

Collectively a visitors, that embody business people with limited-term stays, spent a record 4.5 trillion yen ($41.5 billion) in Japan, according to a Japan Tourism Agency.

Chinese visitors were a biggest spenders, spending a whopping 1.54 trillion yen — or only some-more than one third of sum tourism outlay.

Japan is banking on general tourism to assistance boost a economy, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe aiming to attract 40 million tourists by 2020, when Tokyo hosts a summer Olympic Games.

The concentration on tourism was partly stirred by a country’s demographic crisis, as a timorous race ages and expenditure stays chronically weak.

The enlargement in Japan’s tourism is also down to an enlargement in low-cost carriers and increasing journey boat visits. —AFP

Article source: http://www.aaj.tv/2019/01/japan-sees-record-31-million-tourists-in-2018/