Spending by visitors to Japan on track to top pre-COVID levels

1.82m people arrived in March, surpassing 1.5m for first time since January 2020

Tourists are returning to Japan, especially from the U.S., Europe and the Middle East. (Photo by Satoko Kawasaki)

SATSUKI KANEKO, JUNYA HEMMI and KAZUTO SHIMADA, Nikkei staff writer

April 20, 2023 01:52 JST

TOKYO -- Japan received 1.82 million visitors from abroad in March, the Japan National Tourism Organization announced Wednesday, putting inbound spending one step closer to surpassing pre-pandemic levels this year.

The figure represents 66% of the tally from March 2019, before the global spread of the coronavirus. It increased 23% from February and 27.5 times from March 2022. Total visitors for the year are seen topping 20 million.