The Number of U.S. Visitors to Japan Hits a Record High, and Hawaii Has Become the First Choice for Japanese Overseas Travel, Too

The number of visitors to Japan from Taiwan and the United States hit a record high in a single month. In contrast, Hawaii and Taiwan have become one of Japan’s top tourist destinations.

TOKYO, JAPAN (Periodical News) – The summer holidays and the yen depreciation have driven more and more international tourists to Japan for sightseeing. In June, the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan reached a record high in a month. Although South Korea and China are still the countries with the most significant number of visitors to Japan, the increase in tourists from Taiwan, the Philippines, and the United States is the main reason for this month’s growth. The number of visitors to Japan from Taiwan and the United States hit a record high in a month, showing that Japanese culture, food, attractions, and consumer prices are increasingly popular among tourists from Taiwan and the United States.

Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) announced that the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan in June exceeded a single-month high, reaching 3.1356 million, an increase of 51.2% compared with the same month last year and an increase of 8.9% compared with the same month in 2019. The arrivals number in the year’s first half was 17.7772 million, more than 1 million more than the historical high in the same period in 2019. This shows that the market demand for Japan is robust, and the number of tourists in the second half of the year is expected to grow. Among them, tourists from the United States and Taiwan grew the most.

In a recent earnings call, president of Delta Air Lines Glen Hauenstein, said that the number of American tourists traveling to Japan has hit a record high. According to statistics from the JNTO, the number of American tourists traveling to Japan in June reached 296,400, an increase of 31% compared with the same period last year and 41% compared with 2019. The increase in the number of tourists in the United States was mainly due to the launch of new flights between Guam and Haneda in May and the increase in flights between San Francisco and Narita.

Due to the increase in chartered flights from Taiwan, the number of Taiwanese visiting Japan in June hit a single-month high of 574,500, an increase of 47.7% compared to last year. In addition to the increase in flights from Taoyuan Airport to Kansai and Naha Airports and from Kaohsiung Airport to Narita Airport, charter flights have also been added between Taoyuan Airport and Naha Airport. In addition, cruise ships dock at Hakata Port, Kagoshima Port, Naha Port, and other ports, providing Taiwanese people with more variety in their travel to Japan and significantly increasing the number of tourists.

Japan is a tourist destination for many Americans and Taiwanese. In contrast, the United States and Taiwan are also ideal tourist destinations for Japanese people. According to an online survey by Just System Co., Ltd., the country Japanese people most want to visit when traveling abroad for the first time is Hawaii (18.1%), followed by Taiwan (15.8%). Hawaii is also a popular holiday destination for Japanese people and a preferred honeymoon destination. In 2019, Hawaii received more than 1.5 million Japanese tourists. Although the epidemic affected the tourism market, Japanese visitors will grow slightly in the first quarter of 2024, about 60% of pre-epidemic levels. Convenience stores sell Hawaii-related products, showing that Hawaii is a summer-style resort in the minds of Japanese people.

Taiwan, which ranks second, is a popular overseas destination due to its proximity to Japan, about two and a half hours from Fukuoka and about four and a half hours from Tokyo. In addition to the nostalgic town of Jiufen and the Shilin Night Market, where you can enjoy Taiwanese delicacies, the skyscraper with five underground floors and 101 floors above ground is also a tourist attraction that attracts many Japanese tourists.

Last year, the JNTO formulated three pillars of the National Tourism Revitalization Basic Plan: “Sustainable Tourism,” “Expanding Consumption,” and “Promoting Local Tourism Attractiveness.” It closely analyzed market trends and strategically promoted tourism to Japan, which has significantly increased the popularity of international tourists. The World Expo will be held in Osaka in April next year. It is expected that 28 million tourists will visit the exhibition, which will set off another wave of trends.