TOKYO – Visitors to Japan surged in March to their highest after the COVID-19 pandemic, official data showed on Wednesday, with overseas tourists flocking to see the nation’s famous cherry blossoms for the first time in four years as travel curbs eased.
The number of foreign visitors for business and leisure stood at 1.82 million in March, up from 1.48 million in February, the Japan National Tourism Organisation said.
However, arrivals were still down 34 percent from March 2019, before pandemic travel curbs adopted from the following year.
Visitor numbers have risen steadily since Japan resumed visa-free travel for many countries in October. It halted pre-arrival COVID tests for travellers from China on April 5 and is set to scrap all remaining infection controls from May 8.
