Record-breaking 691,100 Singaporeans visited Japan in 2024

SINGAPORE – A record-breaking 691,100 Singaporeans visited Japan in 2024, said the Japan National Tourism Organisation’s (JNTO) Singapore Office on Jan 15.

This marked a jump of 16.9 per cent from 2023, which saw 591,300 visitors – also a record number that year.

JNTO said the surge was due to a stronger Singapore dollar against the Japanese yen, as well as the introduction of new flight services between the two countries.

Out of the 691,100 travellers in 2024, 136,200 – almost one-fifth of them – flew to the Land of the Rising Sun in December alone. Compared with December 2023, the visitor count in December 2024 rose by 19.8 per cent.

“We are deeply thankful to all the Singaporeans who visited Japan in 2024, making it a record-breaking year,” said Mr Takuya Shiraishi, executive director of JNTO’s Singapore office.

He added that in 2025, Japan is set to welcome even more visitors with the World Expo in Osaka, which will be held from April to October.

“At JNTO, we warmly welcome more visitors from Singapore. While keeping overtourism in mind, JNTO will continue to strengthen its promotional efforts to drive travel to Japan’s regional areas.”

JNTO’s estimates on Jan 15 showed that Japan logged record numbers of tourists in 2024 as a whole, with more than 36.8 million visitors.

This topped 2019’s record of nearly 32 million, marking a return to a boom that began over a decade ago before being interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, with numbers up more than fourfold from 2012.

The government has set an ambitious target of almost doubling tourist numbers to 60 million annually by 2030.

However, the country has been grappling with overtourism, as some areas struggle with congestion either all year round, such as in Kyoto, or seasonally, as in Hokkaido’s Niseko in winter and Tokyo’s Nakameguro in spring.

To tackle overtourism, Kyoto on Jan 14 announced plans to raise hotel lodging taxes.

Mount Fuji hikers also have to pay a fee of between 3,000 yen (S$26) and 5,000 yen from this summer if they are scaling the mountain from the Shizuoka Prefecture.

Mount Fuji climbers who start from the Yamanashi Prefecture already have to pay at least 2,000 yen.

JNTO said it has also introduced Travel Etiquette For The Future – a list of dos and don’ts to encourage good manners by visitors to Japan.

“A responsible traveller doesn’t litter, doesn’t take photos without permission, and doesn’t take large luggage into crowded spaces,” reads the Jan 15 media release, which also includes advice on avoiding crowds, respecting cultural assets and preparing for natural disasters.

• Ian Cheng is a correspondent at The Straits Times, covering breaking news and current affairs.

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