Japan overtakes Thailand as China's most popular destination

Chinese tourists doubled during the eight-day Lunar New Year holiday

2025027 Lunar New Year Kansai International Airport

Kansai International Airport near Osaka was thronged with Chinese and other tourists over the recent Lunar New Year. (Photo by Arisa Moriyama)

NANCY ZHENG and CHIHIRO ISHIKAWA

TOKYO -- Chinese travelers flocked to Japan during the eight-day Lunar New Year holiday ending on Feb. 4, making it China's most popular foreign country to visit ahead of Thailand.

In 2024, Japan overtook Thailand in terms of total international tourist arrivals -- 36.87 million compared to 35.55 million, respectively -- according to the UN Tourism, indicating that more Chinese arrivals in Japan are part of the broader trend.

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