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According to data from the Japan National Tourism Organization, Vietnamese tourists visiting the country in the first 8 months of 2023 were among the top 10 largest source markets.

Specifically, Vietnamese tourists ranked 7th, following South Korea, Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, the United States, and ahead of the Philippines, Australia, and Singapore. In August 2023, Vietnamese arrivals in Japan reached 50,000, marking a 16.5% increase compared to the same period in 2019 (pre-pandemic). Over the course of 8 months, Japan welcomed 397,000 Vietnamese tourists, reflecting a 17.4% increase compared to the same period in 2019.

Vietnamese tourists are preparing for the time to come to Japan to see the red leaf season

Of particular interest is the fact that among Japan’s top 10 largest source markets in the past 8 months, Vietnamese tourists experienced the highest growth rate of 17.4% compared to the pre-pandemic period. Among the top 10 markets, only Vietnam, Singapore (16.8%), and the United States (14%) saw growth compared to pre-pandemic levels. Other important markets for Japan, such as China (down 81%), Thailand (down 28%), Taiwan (down 22%), Australia (down 13%), and South Korea (down 8.6%), experienced significant declines.

The Japan National Tourism Organization reported that the total number of international arrivals in Japan during the first 8 months of 2023 reached 15.2 million, representing a 31% decrease compared to the pre-pandemic period.

International flights to Japan’s 6 major airports (Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Sapporo) have shown relative recovery but remain 26% lower than in August 2019. Additionally, the number of empty seats is down by 25%, with Nagoya Airport even experiencing a 62% reduction in both flight frequency and available seats.

Thanh Thuy Pagoda in Kyoto in autumn colors

Conversely, the number of Japanese tourists traveling abroad reached 1.2 million in August 2023, surpassing the 1 million mark for the first time in a month since the pandemic began. However, this figure still represents a 43.1% decrease compared to August 2019.

As a result, international flights departing from Japan’s 6 major airports were down by 25.8%, totaling 17,031 flights compared to August 2019, and the number of empty seats decreased by 24.9% to 4 million.

@Thanhnien.vn