Tourist spending in Japan in the January-March quarter hit a record ¥706.6 billion ($5.95 billion), up 64.4 percent from a year earlier, the government said Thursday.
The Japan Tourism Agency attributed the rise mainly to visitors from China, who spent ¥277.5 billion in total, up 133.7 percent from the previous year. Visitors from Taiwan spent ¥106.3 billion, up 46.3 percent, followed by South Koreans, who spent ¥72.5 billion, up 45.8 percent.
People from Hong Kong spent ¥54.1 billion, up 94.3 percent, followed by Americans, who spent ¥36.8 billion, up 30.7 percent.
Per-capita spending by foreign visitors rose 14.4 percent to ¥171,028. The figure for Chinese travelers rose 20.9 percent to ¥300,434.
The number of travelers to Japan in the quarter rose 43.7 percent from a year earlier to 4,131,400, the Japan National Tourism Organization said earlier.