The Kyushu District Transport Bureau reported that 410,284 foreign nationals entered Kyushu’s seven prefectures in March, excluding cruise ship visitors—marking the highest single-month figure on record. This surpasses the previous peak set two months earlier, driven by continued inbound tourism boosted by a weak yen and cherry blossom season demand. In contrast, January’s confirmed cruise ship tourist entries, which involve simplified immigration procedures, totaled 61,468—less than half of January 2018’s pre-COVID levels, reflecting slow recovery, particularly due to China’s economic slowdown. In terms of overall January arrivals by nationality, South Korea led with 251,027 visitors, followed by China (95,179), Taiwan (57,400), and Hong Kong (31,819). Chinese arrivals remain below 70% of pre-pandemic levels. Source: Kyushu District Transport Bureau
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