Japan welcomed over 13 million visitors in 2014

A special ceremony was held at Narita Airport on 22 December 2014 to commemorate Japan welcoming its 13 millionth visitor. Preliminary inbound visitor numbers indicate that by the end of December 2014 this number reached 13,414,000. According to statistics released by Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) this is a 29.4% increase compared to 2013 and the highest ever recorded since data collection began in 1964.

JNTO estimates that a total of 302,700 Australians travelled to Japan in 2014, a 23.8% increase from 2013. The month with the highest number of Australian visitors was in December, totalling 37,600.

JNTO cited a number of contributors to the growth in visitor numbers, including JNTO’s continuous promotional efforts. Other factors include the perception that Japan is better value for money due to the weaker yen and improvements to Japan’s duty-free shopping system.

JNTO’s Executive Director, Hiroshi Kuwamoto commented “Winter and cherry blossom season are always popular times for Australians to visit Japan. We have also seen an increase in Australian visitors from large cruise ships docking in Japan, particularly in September. The current exchange rate makes Japan an attractive and cost effective travel destination for Australians, where they can get more for their dollar.”

As of January 2015, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia AUD1 will buy you JPY96.24.

The figures released by JNTO are based on arrivals of Australian passport holders and include business, leisure and stopover visitors.