Message from Ambassador (Japan, as a tourist destination)
2026/4/23
Japan, as a tourist desitation
In recent years, Japan's popularity as a tourist destination has been increasing, and the number of tourists visiting Japan is growing year by year.
In 2025, the number was 42.82 million. Since the beginning of 2026, it has already exceeded 10 million in just three months. By country, tourists from South Korea are the most numerous, accounting for about 20% of the total.
This is followed by China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Tourists from these four Northeast Asian regions alone account for over 50% of the total.
Fortunately, many foreign visitors return with a good impression of Japan, and some even revisit two or three times as repeaters.
On the other hand, the number of Japanese people traveling overseas is 14.73 million annually (2025).
In the past, the number of Japanese people traveling overseas was overwhelmingly higher than the number of people visiting from overseas, but this trend reversed in 2014, and now the number of tourists entering Japan, so-called inbound tourists, significantly exceeds the number of Japanese people traveling overseas.
Incidentally, the number of Japanese people visiting Samoa was 655 in 2025.
If the appeal of Samoa's "South Pacific" could be communicated more effectively to Japanese people, I believe we can still increase this number. As there are quite a few Japanese people who come to NZ and Fiji, which have direct flights, it only takes one more stopover to extend their trip to Samoa
Unfortunately, I couldn't find the number of Samoans visiting Japan. But I've recently been hearing more stories from people who have visited Japan. There is an exchange program called JENESYS for young people from Pacific Island countries, and young Samoans also participate in this. We have recently introduce their experiences on the embassy's website and Facebook. These are particularly well-received, and the image of Japan told from the perspective of the young Samoan generation gives us fresh insights as well.
In recent years, Japan's popularity as a tourist destination has been increasing, and the number of tourists visiting Japan is growing year by year.
In 2025, the number was 42.82 million. Since the beginning of 2026, it has already exceeded 10 million in just three months. By country, tourists from South Korea are the most numerous, accounting for about 20% of the total.
This is followed by China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Tourists from these four Northeast Asian regions alone account for over 50% of the total.
Fortunately, many foreign visitors return with a good impression of Japan, and some even revisit two or three times as repeaters.
On the other hand, the number of Japanese people traveling overseas is 14.73 million annually (2025).
In the past, the number of Japanese people traveling overseas was overwhelmingly higher than the number of people visiting from overseas, but this trend reversed in 2014, and now the number of tourists entering Japan, so-called inbound tourists, significantly exceeds the number of Japanese people traveling overseas.
Incidentally, the number of Japanese people visiting Samoa was 655 in 2025.
If the appeal of Samoa's "South Pacific" could be communicated more effectively to Japanese people, I believe we can still increase this number. As there are quite a few Japanese people who come to NZ and Fiji, which have direct flights, it only takes one more stopover to extend their trip to Samoa
Unfortunately, I couldn't find the number of Samoans visiting Japan. But I've recently been hearing more stories from people who have visited Japan. There is an exchange program called JENESYS for young people from Pacific Island countries, and young Samoans also participate in this. We have recently introduce their experiences on the embassy's website and Facebook. These are particularly well-received, and the image of Japan told from the perspective of the young Samoan generation gives us fresh insights as well.