Australians are heading to Japan in record numbers - here's why
The 2024 numbers have surpassed pre-pandemic figures.
The number of Australians heading to Japan is going through the roof, with 252,900 people from Down Under heading to the Asian hotspot between January and March this year - up 46.3 per cent when compared to the same period in 2019. In fact, according to new data released by Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), visitors in March this year were up a staggering 87.4 per cent compared to 2019.
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Naoki Kitazawa of JNTO says the exchange rate ($1 currently buys about 100 Japanese yen) is the key factor for this spike. "This favourable exchange rate makes Japan more affordable and accessible for Australian travellers," he says. New data from other tourism operators is in line with the JNTO numbers. Celebrity Cruises, for instance, has experienced a 65 per cent increase in the number of international travellers booking its 2024 cruises in Japan as compared to 2019. Meanwhile, Webjet is reporting a 74 per cent increase in flights booked to Tokyo so far for 2024 compared to the 2023 stats. The question is: when and where in Japan are you heading?
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