TOKYO – The Land of the Rising Sun attracted close to half a million visitors from the Philippines during the first eight months of 2024, according to preliminary data from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO).
A total of 496,300 Filipino tourists visited Japan from January to August, marking a 35.1% increase compared to the same period last year and a 36.2% rise from 2019, before the pandemic.
In August alone, an estimated 39,000 travelers arrived from the Southeast Asian nation, making it Japan’s ninth-largest market for foreign visitors. The Philippines ranked behind China, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the United States, Vietnam, Canada, and Australia.
Overall, Japan welcomed 2.93 million foreign visitors in August, bringing the total number of international arrivals for the year so far to 24.01 million. - Florenda Corpuz
(Foreign tourists are seen strolling in Ginza, Tokyo on Oct. 1, 2024. Photo by Din Eugenio)
