Japan just had its best year for tourism ever, and that’s before this summer’s Tokyo 2020 Olympics help boost arrival numbers even higher.
The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) announced that more than 31 million overseas travelers visited Japan in 2019, marking it an all-time record.
“Japan continues to be a destination of tremendous interest for Americans, and that interest is clearly growing – as evidenced by the fact that we saw a 13% increase in the number of US travelers to Japan in 2019, when compared to the year before,” says Naohito Ise, Executive Director of the Japan National Tourism Organization in New York.
Ozu Castle, the first castle hotel in Japan, will open in April 2020 (©Ozu City)
Japan is one of the most hottest travel destinations of 2020 with cities and regions across the country appearing on some of the most prestigious “Where to Go” Lists of the year, including: Tokyo in the New York Times’ annual list of “52 Places to Go”; Tohoku in National Geographic’s list of best trips to take in 2020; and Okinawa in Condé Nast Traveler’s list of “20 Best Places to Go in 2020.”
2020 is the year that the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held in Japan, and to celebrate the festivities year-round, the Japan National Tourism Organization has developed the “Your Japan 2020” campaign. Launched on January 1, the “Your Japan 2020” campaign runs through December 31, and offers international travelers a variety of unforgettable experiences and deals nationwide, including exclusive public openings, Japan-first special events, complimentary domestic flights, significant discounts on international flights, and more.
“Through the ‘Your Japan 2020’ campaign, we are encouraging international travelers to visit more off-the-beaten path destinations and partake in truly remarkable experiences all year long,” continued Ise. “Tourism to Japan has grown significantly year over year, and 2020 is projected to be our best year yet.”
2020 should be a big year for the country so we expect to be writing that “Japan just had its best year for tourism ever” again in 2021.
