No. of foreign visitors hits record for Jan, but growth rate slows

Yup, the Chinese, Korean's, and everyone else in Asia just "hate" Japan. Proof again that the average folks really don't pay much attention to the BS that flies out of the mouths of politicians!

raise prices, raise taxes, charge them when they leave. its a wonder anyone comes here

What was the "growth" rate for non Korean, non Chinese visitors?

Why? Do they not count?

They'll stop counting when their local economies begin producing the same goods they're coming here to buy.

We're about 5 years away. Watch the crash. There will be a huge swell around the time of the Olympics and a marvelous tumble afterwards.

Out of interest, do other countries estimate and announce visitor numbers every single month? Does this not get in the way of the tourism people doing actual work that promotes tourism?

@Luddite

It's stupid to rely too much on income from tourists to prop up your economy.

Exactly. Japan's slowly becoming a ninja/geisha/Fuji theme park selling cosmetics and toiletries to completely uninterested, rich tourists.

Yes!!!! Please!!! MOAR!!! 2,5 million??? why not 10 million? or 20. As if traffic and tourist spots are not yet congested enough. Mind you I have no issue with tourism but I feel its becoming a bit of an overkill.

It's stupid to rely too much on income from tourists to prop up your economy.

What was the "growth" rate for non Korean, non Chinese visitors?

Here you go.

https://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/ttp/sta/PDF/E2018.pdf

Thank you all, for your observations, even the ones that sniped at tourism. I checked the JTA site and after a few minutes discovered that we Canadians only account for 1.1% of visitors to Japan. So I'm sure that those of you who have a demeaning attitude towards polite tourists won't find it alarming that I'll go somewhere else, this year, and stop talking to my friends and retired business associates about how nice it is in Japan. No one loses, right?

Expensive flights for family of 4 from the uk !! We want to go :-(

They soon will realize the damages of mass tourism.

Not as long as the money keeps flowing in. Okinawa has seen a jump in tourism to the point that it now gets more tourists than Hawaii.

Both domestic and international tourism has increased to over 9 million, and due to that increase, there has been a huge influx of international money coming into the prefecture.

Hyatt, Best Western, Hilton (3 soon to be 4), Marriott, Sheraton, Ritz Carlton, and soon coming the Halekunai Luxury Resort from Hawaii, Intercontinental and others too.

What was the "growth" rate for non Korean, non Chinese visitors?

Why? Do they not count?

@ Nan Ferra

re you trying to discredit Japan's tourism boom?

They soon will realize the damages of mass tourism.