It is the seventh year in a row when Japan's tourism sector demonstrates a steady growth though for the second time the growth rate proved not as high as expected at 2.2 percent.
While the prospects for 2020 are rather bright – especially taking into account the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer – the government's goal to attract 40 million visitors in 2020 may not be achieved. Basing on the experience of several previous Olympics host cities, efforts of the host to avoid large crowd and rocketing accommodation prices may result in a decline in tourists.
With the chill between Japan and South Korea, which historically has been an important tourist source market for Japan constituing up to 20 percent of all overseas travellers, the decreasing number of flights connecting the two countries, and an almost 65 percent drop in tourists from South Korea since last August, Japan's major travel agency JTB Corp. predicts 2020's numbers will hardly surpass 34.3 million.
Japan Registers Record High of Foreign Visitors in 2019
News in Asia
Japan welcomed a record high of 31.88 million foreign visitors in 2019. Even a sharp drop in numbers of tourists from South Korea caused by deterioration of bilateral ties did not produce a tangible impact on the overall performance of tourism sector.