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Tourism in Japan – latest trends and 2025 predictions
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Japan’s tourism sector continues to grow, with JTB forecasting international visitor arrivals to surpass 40 million in 2025. This projection builds on the record-breaking 36.9 million visitors in 2024.
JNTO – Japan National Tourism Organisation – expressed confidence in the market’s trajectory and believes the current strong trend will stay unchanged.
Tourism in Japan has swiftly recovered since reopening borders in 2022, bouncing back faster than expected after the pandemic.
The article explores the reasons behind this resurgence and provides insights into trends we can expect in 2025 tourism.
Japan initially restricted travel from China’s Hubei Province in 2020 and gradually expanded the ban. In December 2020, the country closed its borders to all nonresident foreign nationals. A full reopening occurred on October 11, 2022, with vaccine and documentation requirements lifted in April 2023.
Japan experienced a rapid recovery after reopening. In January, there were 1.5 million international arrivals (44% less than in 2019). By August, the deficit had reduced to 14%. Bookings for luxury hotels are on a steady upward trajectory.
Japan’s tourism sector rebounded spectacularly in 2024, welcoming a record-breaking 36.87 million international visitors. This impressive figure surpasses all previous records and highlights the country’s enduring appeal. The majority of these visitors hailed from East Asian nations.
Source: JNTO
Japanese tourism is experiencing a boom, with a record number of visitor arrivals in the country.
Source: JNTO
In 2024, over 22% of visitors to Japan came from South Korea. China comes in second with 17.6%, and Taiwan is third with 14.5%.
Source: JNTO
In 2024, a vast majority – over 95% of the total number of visitors – came to Japan as tourists.
Source: JNTO
Read our blog about 2025 advertising trends in Japan here →
Japan welcomed a record 36.87 million international visitors in 2024, surpassing all previous years. This surge in tourism is a significant milestone for the country.
Tourists spent a record 8.14 trillion yen ($50.8 billion) in Japan during 2024, exceeding the previous high of 5.31 trillion yen in 2023. This demonstrates the growing economic impact of tourism.
East Asian countries remained the primary source of tourists, with South Korea leading at 8.82 million visitors, followed by China (6.98 million) and Taiwan (6.04 million).
While second in visitor numbers, Chinese tourists spent the most (1.73 trillion yen or $11.2 billion). This accounted for 21.3% of total tourist spending.
The average tourist spent around 227,000 ($1470) yen per person. Visitors from Britain (383,000 yen or $2481), Australia (382,000 yen or $2472), and Spain (370,000 yen or $2397) spent the most per person.
December 2024 saw 3.49 million visitors, a record high for a single month, driven by holiday travel demand.
Tourist spending is now a major contributor to Japan’s economy, second only to automobile exports and surpassing semiconductor and steel exports.
Over-tourism emerged as a significant challenge for Japan’s booming tourism industry in 2024, impacting the experiences of a substantial portion of visitors. A recent survey revealed that over 30% of foreign tourists encountered issues related to overcrowding during their trip.
Congestion at popular destinations topped the list of complaints. Concerns about inappropriate tourist behaviour, such as littering and trespassing also made top of the list. While over-tourism presents an apparent problem, the survey also offered a potential solution.
Most tourists (63%) expressed a willingness to pay higher fees at attractions and other facilities. This length matches the revenue’s use to mitigate congestion and preserve cultural and natural resources.
Source: The Japan Times
Since the annual climbing season opened in July, around 65,000 hikers have reached the summit in 2023 – an increase of 17% from 2019. Rubbish on trails, rising CO2 emissions and reckless hikers are among the reasons officials fear the environmental situation has reached a “critical point.”
To combat overtourism on Mount Fuji, Japanese authorities implemented new measures in 2024. Those include an entry fee, a daily climber cap, and online reservations. These efforts resulted in a 14% decrease in climbers during the 2024 hiking season (early July to early September) compared to the previous year, despite Japan experiencing record-high overall tourist numbers.
The measures were introduced due to concerns about safety, environmental damage, and overcrowding at the popular site, which had prompted warnings from local officials.
Source: Pixabay
Many Japanese islands have introduced an “entrance tax” on visitors to curb overcrowding. From October, visitors to the island of Miyajima, home to the World Heritage site of Itsukushima Shrine will have to pay a JPY 100 fee (USD 0.64). The city anticipates the new tax will bring in JPY 140m (USD 960k) in FY23.
Japan Railway Group has raised prices for rail passes for the first time in four decades, with an average increase of 70%. This includes a 14-day unlimited travel pass, which now costs ¥80,000 ($534), up from ¥47,250. Despite the significant price hike, demand is expected to remain strong, partly due to a cheaper yen and a steady flow of inbound tourists.
Japan is likely to see further growth in inbound tourism in 2025, building on the strong momentum.
Overtourism will remain a key concern, with continued efforts to mitigate its effects through measures like tourist taxes, dynamic pricing, and regulations at popular sites.
The push to distribute tourists beyond major cities will intensify. The JNTO’s success with the Hokuriku campaign (a 93% increase in visitors in the first 10 months of 2024) demonstrates the potential of regional promotion. Expect more campaigns targeting specific regions, especially those less affected by overtourism.
The JNTO’s collaboration with global OTAs and LCCs will play a crucial role.
The JNTO’s strategy of attracting specific demographics, like French travellers seeking less-crowded destinations, will likely be expanded to other regions and nationalities.
The JNTO’s investment in events like “AdventureWeek” highlights the growing focus on adventure tourism. Expect more initiatives and training programs to support local operators in developing and offering adventure travel experiences, particularly in regions like Tohoku.
Digital tools will continue to be essential for marketing, translation, accommodation management, real-time data, and strategic planning.
Investments in infrastructure, especially transportation, will be crucial to support increased tourism and regional travel.
Addressing labor shortages in hospitality while maintaining “omotenashi” will remain a significant challenge.
The regulatory landscape will likely evolve to address overtourism and support sustainable tourism growth.
Attracting high-spending tourists and developing niche tourism offerings (ecotourism, beach tourism, etc.) will remain a priority.
While regional tourism is growing, the gap between major urban areas and local regions in terms of tourist numbers still needs to be addressed. The JNTO aims to close this gap, but they will likely need to take further action.
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