2015 Foreign Visitor Spending In Japan Estimated At ¥3.5 Trillion

Above, the Dotonbori section of Osaka. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Japan may be in and out of a recession, but the tourism industry is doing quite well.

The surge in foreign visitors to Japan, along with their spendin, has made the Japanese economy reap the benefits.

According to a new article in The Japan Times:

Foreign travelers spent an estimated ¥3.5 trillion in Japan last year, the tourism minister said Tuesday. A previous high of ¥2.03 trillion was recorded in 2014. 

The figure means foreign tourists brought a “tremendous” economic impact, Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Keiichi Ishii told a news conference. 

But he said Japan is still not fully oriented to the revenue source.

The article also states:

The government has targeted annual spending of ¥4 trillion by foreign tourists and a total of 20 million visitors. Given that such spending is already within sight, it plans to set a new target by the end of March. 

The number of foreign visitors in 2015 is thought to have reached the upper 19 million range, a jump from 13.4 million in 2014.

It will be interesting to see what the final tally is on the number of foreign visitors to Japan in 2015.

To read more, go here.