Japan saw a record-breaking surge in visitor spending through September, marking a significant boost to its tourism economy, according to official data released by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) on Wednesday. International tourists spent a staggering 5.86 trillion yen ($39.27 billion) during their visits, surpassing the 5.3 trillion yen spent in all of 2023. This set a new record for tourism spending in any 12-month period.

Tourism spending is now poised to become Japan’s second-largest economic sector, trailing only behind the automotive and electronics industries. Between July and September, the average visitor spent 223,000 yen on their trip, a notable contribution to the nation's booming travel economy.

In September alone, Japan welcomed 2.87 million international visitors, a slight dip from August’s 2.93 million. However, monthly visitor numbers have been steadily rising since February, with July seeing a peak of 3.29 million tourists — the highest for the year so far.

As of September, Japan has welcomed approximately 26.88 million tourists in 2024, surpassing the average yearly total from 2023. The country is on track to exceed the pre-pandemic record of 31.9 million visitors set in 2019.