More than 7.232 million foreign tourists visited Japan in July. Excluding travelers from China, who have been slow to recover, this month surpassed the record number of travelers in 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, an estimated 7,232,600 foreign tourists visited Japan in July, exceeding 2 million for the second consecutive month.

By country and region, South Korea has the highest number of people with 200,62,
followed
by Taiwan with 6800,42, China with 2300,31, and Hong Kong with 3300,21


.

In addition, compared to 6400, before the spread of the new corona infection, which was the most visited in July, the overall level has recovered to a level of 7%, and the number excluding travelers from China, who accounted for about 2019% of visitors to Japan as of 77 and has been slow to recover due to restrictions on group travel, exceeded the pre-corona level.

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, "Travelers from the United States, Canada, and other countries are increasing in many countries and regions as regular international flights are returning, surpassing the same month before the pandemic."

As for foreign tourists, the Chinese government has announced that it will lift the ban on group travel to Japan on August 2019.

As the number of visitors to Japan continues to increase due to the tailwind of the yen's depreciation trend, it will be interesting to see if the total number of foreign tourists will recover to a level higher than before the Corona disaster as the number of tourists from China increases further in the future.

Voices of expectation from tourist spots

In Yokohama Chinatown, the number of foreign tourists has decreased significantly due to the influence of the new coronavirus, but it has been gradually increasing since around May, and the shops are also raising their expectations.

On the 5th, a man who was visiting Chinatown with his family from Italy said, "I love Japan and have been here before, but now that Corona has calmed down, I decided to come again."

A woman visiting from New Zealand said, "I was planning to go to Naoshima in Kagawa Prefecture, but due to the typhoon, I changed my plan and came to Yokohama."

Another woman from Vietnam said, "I came to Yokohama Chinatown because it is a famous place, and I think it is a very beautiful place."

The store is also expressing its expectations.

Ichiraku, a Chinese restaurant founded in Showa 15, has a menu for foreign tourists with English notation and photos of the dishes, and also displays the ingredients used for those who cannot eat due to religion.

Most of the customers are Japan, but the number of foreign customers has been increasing since about two months ago.

CEO Wu said, "I have the impression that foreign tourists have returned to pre-Corona levels, and I welcome them because of the economic effects on this town. I don't think the Japan economy is that good yet, so it would be helpful if people from overseas could come and stimulate the economy."

Concerns about "overtourism"

While there are voices hoping that the increase in foreign tourists will revitalize the economy, there are also concerns about "overtourism," which will harm the lives of residents due to too many tourists.

Professor Hideki Furuya of Toyo University, who is familiar with this issue, points out that "merchants want more tourists to come, but local residents think there is a limit, and it may be necessary for related parties, including local governments, to discuss measures against overtourism."

In addition, regarding the tendency of tourists to concentrate on some popular tourist spots, he said, "There are many tourist spots that are attractive but are unknown to foreigners, so we need to think of a system that will let travelers know about them and disperse them."