(Update) Visitors to Japan Hit Record High for March

   Tokyo, April 16 (Jiji Press)--The estimated number of visitors to Japan hit a record high for March, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday.
   The number grew 13.5 pct from a year earlier to 3,497,600. The cumulative number of visitors to the country in the first three months of this year reached 10,537,300, passing the 10 million mark at the fastest pace.
   With cherry blossoms starting to bloom in Japan, the number of tourists from China and the United States surged. Visitors from Southeast Asia and Middle East also went up, during holidays after the Islamic fasting period of Ramadan.
   Visitors from South Korea were the biggest group by country or region in March, expanding 4.3 pct to total 691,700. China came second, with 661,700 visitors, up 46.2 pct. Visitors from Taiwan were estimated at 522,900, up 7.9 pct, with those from the United States at 342,800, up 18.2 pct.
   The Japan Tourism Agency separately said Wednesday that spending by foreign visitors in the quarter through March rose 28.4 pct from a year before to 2,272 billion yen, with per-visitor spending coming to 221,994 yen. Accommodation and dining expenses especially increased, due partly to inflation.

(2025/04/16-19:56)

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