Japan Expects To Meet Goal of 20 Million Foreign Tourists This Year

Above, new hotels such as the Hotel Gracery are seeing the benefits
of the increased numbers of foreign tourists. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If current trends continue, it looks as though Japan may exceed 20 million foreign visitors this year. That is five years sooner than their goal of 20 million in 2020.

The Japan Times reported:

The number of visitors to Japan is expected to approach 20 million this year if the recent growth trend continues, Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Akihiko Tamura said Wednesday. 

At a news conference Tamura said the annual number “will exceed 19.5 million unless any (negative) external factors arise.” 

He made the remark after the Japan National Tourism Organization said that the estimated number of visitors to Japan was 17,964,400 between January and November, up 47.5 percent from the same period last year.

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