TOKYO, Japan – The estimated number of visitors to Japan in March jumped 22.6 percent from a year earlier to 1,050,500, a single-month record, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday.
The visitor total grew for the 14th straight month, thanks to the popularity of cherry blossom tours, which contributed to a greater number of visitors from China and Taiwan especially, as well as an easing of visa requirements for visitors from Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries.
The previous single-month record was 1,003,032, set in July 2013.
In March, visitors from mainland China surged 80.1 percent to total 184,200, a record high for the month, logging a steeper year-on-year rise than visitors from any other country or region.
The sharp recovery in Chinese visitors can be attributed to a weaker yen and the resumption of large-ship cruise tours, which had been completely suspended in the same month last year amid heightened tensions between Japan and China over the Senkaku Islands, the government tourism agency said.
Visitor numbers from Taiwan rose by 41.4 percent to 208,500 and Hong Kong visits rose 8.4 percent to 64,400.
Among Southeast Asian nations, Malaysia posted a Japan-bound traveler increase of 74.6 percent to 23,400,while Vietnam’s figure grew 63.7 percent to 11,100, and Thailand’s rose 58.5 percent to 71,100. In contrast, South Korean visitor numbers dropped 7.2 percent to 192,100, due partly to reduced flights between the two countries.
