One in Three Foreign Visitors to Japan in Q1 Was Korean... Total Spending 1.9 Trillion Won, Ranked 1st

by Kim Daehyun

Published 19 Apr.2023 17:42(KST)

In the first quarter, 33% of foreigners who visited Japan were Koreans.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the Japan Tourism Agency on the 19th, the total number of foreign visitors to Japan in the first quarter was 4.79 million, which is 37.8% less than the same period in 2019, the year just before the outbreak of COVID-19. Among these foreign visitors, Koreans accounted for the largest share at 33.4%, totaling 1.6 million. Next were Taiwan (790,000) and Hong Kong (420,000).

Koreans also had the largest spending by nationality. The total travel expenses spent by Korean visitors in Japan during the first quarter on accommodation, meals, transportation, and entertainment amounted to 199.9 billion yen (approximately 1.97 trillion KRW), the highest among all nationalities.

This accounted for 19.7% of the total foreign tourist expenditure of 1.0146 trillion yen. However, the per capita spending of Koreans was 125,000 yen (approximately 1.23 million KRW), which is 59.0% of the average foreigner spending of 212,000 yen. The top countries by per capita spending were China (747,000 yen), Australia (358,000 yen), and France (300,000 yen).

The Japanese government has gradually reopened its borders after allowing group tours for foreigners in June last year. It also resumed visa exemption measures for 68 countries and regions worldwide, including Korea, which had been suspended due to the spread of COVID-19.