TOKYO - Japan welcomed 2.79 million visitors in February, a record for the month and the most for any month since the Covid-19 pandemic began, boosted by travel during the Chinese New Year holidays.

The number of foreign visitors for business and leisure was up from 2.69 million in January, data from the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) showed on March 19.

Arrivals in February were 7.1 per cent higher than in 2019, when the Chinese New Year also fell in the second month of the year rather than the first. For all of 2019, Japan welcomed a record 31.9 million visitors before the pandemic struck.

Tourism to Japan all but stopped for more than two years during the pandemic. Since then, the industry has received a major boost from a weak yen that has made Japan a bargain destination for foreign travellers.

Current account data in January showed a record gain attributable to inbound tourism, illustrating the sector’s widening role in the economy. Visitors spent more than 5 trillion yen (S$44.6 billion) in the country in 2023, exceeding the government’s goal.

Travellers from 19 of 23 countries and territories, including Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and the United States, set records for February, JNTO said.

Japan is the top destination for travellers from 12 countries on Agoda’s online booking platform, said Agoda chief executive Omri Morgenshtern.

“Demand for Japan is very strong,” he said. “I assume, overall, you will see 2024 in the 2019 levels or slightly above.” REUTERS