Japan regional airports rebound, but China visitor recovery slow

Business travelers and tourists from Taiwan boost operations at some sites

20240608N Tigerair

A regular charter flight from Taiwan is serviced at Japan's Koichi Airport. (Photo by Ryuichi Tomita)

MASAAKI MORIOKA, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO -- Japan's regional airports are seeing a recovery in international travelers as foreign tourists flood the country, returning in fiscal 2023 to just over 60% of the total for pre-pandemic fiscal 2019, but an absence of visitors from China is a headwind on a full recovery.

Regional airports often have routes that serve relatively close Asian destinations, and some are seeing sharp rebounds mainly due to travelers from Taiwan.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored ContentThis content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.