Destinations Known | Japan receives a rude reminder on overtourism evils as international tourist numbers near pre-pandemic levels, with Kyoto one of the pressure points
- Japan welcomed more than 2 million international visitors for a fourth consecutive month in September, with their spending beating even pre-pandemic levels
- The country is already looking at measures amid overtourism concerns, including allowing operators to raise rail ticket prices during holidays and weekends
Last week, a contemporary tourism morality tale played out in three parts over a single day.
The first act was published by Reuters. Under the headline, “Japan international visitors reach 96 per cent of pre-Covid level in September”, the newswire reported that “Japan welcomed more than 2 million international visitors for a fourth consecutive month in September […] marking a near full recovery to pre-pandemic levels.
“The number of foreign visitors for business and leisure was 2.18 million last month, data from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) showed, up slightly from 2.16 million in August.”
It has been a year since Japan reopened to allow in most visitors visa-free, and all remaining Covid-19 controls were scrapped in May. Since then, “Arrivals have maintained a rapid recovery pace, peaking at 2.32 million in July, as airlines added more international flights and the yen’s slide to a near 33-year low made Japan a bargain destination.
“The number of visitors arriving from 15 markets, including the United States, South Korea and Singapore, reached record levels for the month of September, the JNTO said. Travellers from Mexico were a record for any month.
