Foreign Visitors to Japan Plummet Nearly 60% Due to COVID-19 Impact

80% Decrease in Korean Visitors to Japan, 88% Decrease in Chinese Visitors to Japan

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] Due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the number of foreign visitors to Japan last month sharply declined by nearly 60% compared to the same period last year.

According to the Japan Tourism Agency on the 19th, the number of foreign visitors to Japan last month was 1,085,100, a 58.3% decrease compared to the same period last year.

Kyodo News reported that this rate of decline is the second highest on record, following April 2011 (-62.5%), immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

By nationality, the number of Korean visitors was 143,900, down 80% compared to the same period last year, and Chinese visitors were 87,200, down 88%.

Korean visitors to Japan, which had sharply decreased due to the Japanese government's export restrictions in July last year, showed some recovery but then saw a larger decline again due to the spread of COVID-19. The year-on-year decrease rates for Korean visitors were 7.6% in July, 48.0% in August, 58.1% in September, 65.5% in October, 65.1% in November, 63.6% in December last year, and 59.4% in January this year.

In the case of Chinese visitors, the number sharply declined as the Chinese government effectively banned group overseas tourism by its citizens due to the spread of COVID-19.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.