Japan Expected To Reach Another Tourism Record In 2014

Above, the torii gate at the Itsukushima shrine on Miyajima. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The number of foreign tourists to Japan totaled over 10 million this year, which is a record for Japan.

However, the Japanese tourism industry expects to top that in 2014.

According to an article in The Japan News (Yomiuri Shimbun):

The number of foreign visitors to Japan in 2014 is expected to increase 14.3 percent from the previous year to 11.8 million, hitting a record high for the second consecutive year, the travel agency JTB Corp. has said. The expected growth will be backed by the yen’s weakness, which makes trips to Japan less costly for foreigners. 

The registration of Mt. Fuji, Japan’s tallest mountain, and washoku traditional cuisine on UNESCO’s World Heritage list is expected to give an additional boost.

It will be interesting to see if Japan will reach 11.8 million next year. I will be doing my part as I am headed there early in the year.

To read the full article, go here.