Japan Posts Record Arrivals as China Traffic Falls
Skift Take
Japan reported the highest monthly total of international visitors ever, despite an informal boycott by China. Plus, hotel deal and development news.
STR reported China hotel data for the week ended April 11th. Hotel RevPAR in China was up 1.6%, up against an easy comp as last year’s week had RevPAR down 17.7%. For the 2026 week, ADR was up 3.9%, offsetting a decline of 2.3% for occupancy.
Japan reported 3.6 million international visitors in March 2026. The Japan National Tourism Organization said this was the highest monthly total on record, accomplished even with a decline of 55.9% in arrivals from China. Arrivals from the Middle East declined by 30.6%. Japanese officials said these declines were offset by strong growth from alternative source markets. South Korea remained the largest inbound market with 795,600 visitors in March. Emerging markets, including Mexico and countries across Southeast Asia, recorded growth exceeding 40%. Travelers from the US and Europe took advantage of favorable exchange rates. The Japan Tourism Agency said internation
