Even after the country taking steps to reopen its borders for tourists, the island nation of Japan is still struggling to welcome tourists and the foreign visitors slumped in June compared to previous months.
According to data released by Japan national tourism organization, the number of tourists who visited Japan was standing at 120,400 in the month of June compared to 147,000 in the month of May.
Japan officially began accepting tourists on June 10, doubling the daily entry limit to 20,000 visitors.
Even as the JPY is weakening and making it affordable for tourists, this downward trend of tourists visiting the country is a concern.
Tourists are still limited to group tours with strict controls — including mandatory mask-wearing, temperature checks and limited free movement — appearing to be making it difficult to plan for and attract visitors.
The figure also trailed total visitors in April, when Japan increased the daily number of international arrivals allowed after opening its doors to students, business people and other workers in March.
Japan was at the peak of a tourism boom, with inbound visitors reaching a record in 2019.
A number of tourists to Japan came from Vietnam, followed by China and South Korea. Visitors in June were down 96% compared with the same month three years ago.
Now, the island nation is one of the last remaining rich economies with strict border controls.
