Japan welcomed the most visitors in history in 2024, as the country’s weak currency fuelled a tourism boom, according to official figures.
More than 36.8 million people visited the Asian country for business or leisure last year, estimates from the Japan National Tourism Organization showed on Wednesday.
The figures far surpass 2019’s record of nearly 32 million arrivals and compare with 25.07 million visitors in 2023.
Spending by foreign visitors surged to 8.14 trillion yen ($51.78bn), a 53 percent rise from the previous year.
The boom in arrivals has been spurred, in part, by the slumping value of the yen, which at one point last year was trading at a 40-year low against the US dollar.
While the influx of visitors has delivered a boost to Japan’s economy after decades of stagnation, the surge in arrivals has also prompted pushback among locals.
Earlier this week, the city government of Kyoto, one of Japan’s most popular destinations, announced that it would hike hotel lodging taxes to as much as 10,000 yen ($63) per night as part of efforts to address over-tourism concerns.
Kyoto Mayor Koji Matsui said the increased tax take would be spent on improving infrastructure such as roads and bridges so that residents could “tangibly feel” that welcoming visitors improves their lives.
The move came after officials in the historical capital last year banned tourists from entering alleyways in the traditional district of Gion following reports of visitors harassing geishas.
Other Japanese municipalities have also proposed measures to address complaints about strained infrastructure and disrespectful tourists.
In June, the mayor of Himeji, Hideyasu Kiyomoto, caused a stir when he said he would consider charging foreigners six times as much as locals to enter the city’s UNESCO-listed castle.
Despite the surge in arrivals, Japan still receives far fewer tourists per capita than major tourist destinations such as France, Italy and Spain.
Under the Japanese government’s tourism blueprint, officials hope to attract 60 million visitors a year by 2030.
The post Japan’s tourist arrivals hit all-time high as weak currency draws masses appeared first on Al Jazeera.
