Spending by foreign visitors to Japan in 2022 grew sharply from the year before to 898.7 billion yen ($6.8 billion) as arrivals began increasing from October when border restrictions, initially imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, were eased, a government survey showed Friday.
The figure was 7.4 times higher than the 120.8 billion yen spent in 2021, the lowest amount recorded since comparable data became available in 2010, but still down 81.3 percent from the 4.8 trillion yen recorded in 2019, the highest spending ever by overseas travelers.
According to the Japan Tourism Agency survey, the average expenditure per person was 234,524 yen, a 47.9 percent increase from 2019.
The government on Friday announced a basic plan to promote tourism in the country. Without setting a specific time limit, the aim is for 5 trillion yen in annual expenditures by foreign arrivals.
The goal is attainable if 28 million visitors spend 180,000 yen each, it said.
In 2022, Japan had 3.83 million overseas arrivals. Between October and December, they spent 594.9 billion yen, which accounted for two-thirds of expenditures for the entire year.
Visitors from South Korea spent the most at 135.2 billion yen, followed by China with 109.2 billion yen, the United States with 95.9 billion yen, and Hong Kong with 76.2 billion yen.
The survey asked foreigners who were in Japan for less than a year in 2022 about their spending on accommodations, transportation, food, and other items.
Figures were estimated based on October to December data, as the sampling number between January and September was insufficient due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: kyodonews
