Japan’s tourism boom hits a speed bump as Chinese visitor numbers fall sharply

The surge in tourism to Japan has become a familiar and reliable trend since the COVID-19 pandemic, but the relentless rise has reversed somewhat this year.

Japan's monthly visitor numbers have seen year-on-year declines for the first time since 2019.

This is no doubt partly due to rising travel costs and economic concerns in many markets, but the major factor is the steep fall in tourism to Japan from mainland China as political tensions have increased.

Chinese airlines have generally cut capacity to Japan, although Japanese airlines have kept their capacity to China relatively stable.

As the Japan-China numbers have declined, other markets have risen. For example, tourism from South Korea to Japan is booming, and inbound travel from Taiwan to Japan has also been strong.

This dynamic has seen Japan-South Korea trunk routes climb up global rankings lists, and has also led to South Korea becoming Japan's largest source of visitors.