Number of foreign visitors to Japan up 15.6% in 1st half of 2018

The estimated number of foreign visitors to Japan in January to June rose 15.6 percent from a year earlier to 15.89 million, a record for the six-month period, the Japan Tourism Agency said Wednesday.If the pace of increase is maintained, the annual figure will top 30 million for the first time. The government aims to attract 40 million foreign visitors in 2020 when Tokyo hosts the Olympics and Paralympics.Increases in budget airline flights, mainly in East Asia, led to robust growth, with Chinese independent travelers and cruise ship passengers pushing up the total figure, according to the…READ FULL ARTICLE