As inbound tourism from East and Southeast Asia continues to rise, Japan is attempting to direct visitors to places outside Tokyo in order to prevent over-tourism, specifically by appealing to “light repeaters” who have visited Japan more than twice.
The popularity of Japan as a travel destination among East and Southeast Asian tourists is very high, with a survey conducted by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) showing that in all major markets besides South Korea, people chose Japan as the country they want to visit the most.
The survey, conducted between January and March last year, demonstrated that interest was highest in Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong, with over 60% of respondents picking Japan as their top destination.