Visitors to Japan hit record low of 245,900 in 2021

Jiji Press

16:22 JST, January 20, 2022

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The estimated number of foreign visitors to Japan in 2021 came to 245,900, hitting the lowest level since the statistics began in 1964, due to pandemic-linked entry restrictions, government data showed Wednesday.

The 2021 figure, which compares with the 1964 level of 352,800, was down 99.2% from 2019, before the pandemic, and down 94% from 2020, when the pandemic started to affect the number of foreign visitors, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.

An early recovery in inbound traffic seems unlikely, with no sign of the current wave of coronavirus infections receding.

In 2021, the number of visitors to Japan stood at 46,500 in January but fell below 8,000 in February as the country strengthened its entry restrictions.