The number of foreign tourists visiting Japan increased 36% from a year earlier in February, lifted by Chinese visitors even amid the yen’s climb against the yuan.
Visitors arriving from overseas totaled an estimated 1.89 million for the month, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday.
The figure was second only to the 1.91 million of July 2015. China was the top source of visitors, providing 498,000 tourists — up 39% on the year. Traffic from South Korea jumped 53% to 490,000. Taiwan sent 349,000 visitors Japan’s way, 26% more than a year earlier, while the influx from Hong Kong climbed 39% to 151,000. Overall tourism from outside Asia grew as well, with visitors from the U.S. increasing 14% to 67,000.
Concerns over an economic deceleration in China have intensified of late. The stock market there has continued to slide, reducing real incomes. The yuan has grown weaker against the yen, cutting travelers’ buying power in Japan. But tourism growth remains as brisk as ever.
Still, “we will keep a lookout for future shifts in the yuan and the Chinese stock market and their effects,” Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Akihiko Tamura told a news conference Wednesday.
Source: Nikkei Image: Bank Image
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