The number of foreign visitors to Japan rebounded again in November, the first full month after borders reopened last month, fueling hopes for a broader travel recovery next year.
Roughly 934,500 overseas travelers visited last month, preliminary figures released by the Japan National Tourism Organization showed on Wednesday. That’s up 87% from the prior month, when entry restrictions were eased on Oct. 11. Japan saw just 17,766 visitors in January.
The numbers are still well below the 2.6 million-plus people who came, on average, each month during the peak of a tourism boom in 2019. Even so, the rapid recovery in visitor numbers suggest that the country’s retailers and restaurants will finally see some relief next year after the steep drop in business during the pandemic. The big question is whether that can help make up for weakening economic activity.