Thailand Along with South Korea and More Support Japan Tourism Amid Chinese Visitor Slump and Inbound Decline in 2026

Thailand, South Korea and Taiwan are boosting Japan’s tourism industry. Japan saw mixed results from its tourism industry in 2026 but was aided by a number of countries including Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan. Overall there was a drop in visitors from China with around 30.73 million international tourists arriving between January-September 2026. This is down by 2.9% when comparing the same time frame in 2025. Despite this there was positive growth seen from some major tourism countries. Whilst there was a dramatic drop in Chinese tourists (down by 55.5%), South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand helped to boost Japan’s tourism industry.

Thailand Emerges as a Resilient Tourism Market for Japan in 2026

Thailand has maintained its position as one of Japan’s most important international tourism markets, with steady growth recorded during the first nine months of 2026.

According to figures attributed to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), approximately 835,000 visitors from Thailand travelled to Japan between January and September 2026. This represented a 2.4% year-on-year increase, placing Thailand sixth among Japan’s ten largest inbound tourism markets.

The positive performance was recorded despite an overall reduction in international arrivals to Japan. Thailand’s continued contribution has therefore been particularly significant in a year characterised by contrasting visitor trends.

However, the growth was not consistent throughout the period. During September 2026, arrivals from Thailand declined by 12.6% year on year, with approximately 44,800 Thai visitors recorded.

This monthly contraction demonstrated that Thailand’s tourism performance was not immune to changing travel patterns. Nevertheless, the positive nine-month result indicated that earlier visitor growth remained sufficient to maintain an overall increase.

Thailand’s performance has consequently highlighted the importance of maintaining a diversified international visitor base for Japan.

South Korea Leads Japan’s International Tourism Recovery Efforts

While Thailand recorded moderate growth, South Korea remained Japan’s largest international source market during the January–September 2026 period.

Approximately 8,262,700 South Korean visitors travelled to Japan, representing an impressive 21.6% increase compared with the corresponding period in 2025.

The substantial expansion helped strengthen Japan’s inbound tourism performance, even as arrivals from China experienced a sharp contraction.

South Korea’s contribution was particularly important because of its combination of high visitor volume and strong year-on-year growth. The country accounted for the largest number of international arrivals among the markets included in the reported rankings.

Taiwan also emerged as a major contributor, with approximately 5,997,600 visitors recorded during the first nine months of 2026.

Taiwanese arrivals increased by 19.1%, reinforcing the market’s position as Japan’s second-largest source of international visitors.

Together, South Korea and Taiwan demonstrated that strong tourism demand continued to be recorded in important Asian markets.

Their performances provided a substantial counterbalance to the declining Chinese visitor market, although this growth was not sufficient to prevent an overall reduction in Japan’s inbound arrivals.

Chinese Tourist Arrivals Plunge 55.5% as Japan Records Overall Tourism Decline

Despite positive performances from several countries, Japan’s total international visitor arrivals declined by 2.9% during the first nine months of 2026.

Approximately 30,730,200 international visitors were recorded between January and September, compared with 31,651,327 visitors during the corresponding period in 2025.

The decline was largely associated with the substantial reduction in travellers arriving from China.

According to the supplied JNTO figures, approximately 3,335,500 Chinese visitors travelled to Japan during the nine-month period, representing a dramatic 55.5% year-on-year decrease.

China nevertheless remained Japan’s third-largest inbound tourism market because of the considerable number of visitors recorded.

However, the scale of the contraction placed significant downward pressure on Japan’s overall international arrival figures.

The difference between China’s performance and that of neighbouring South Korea and Taiwan illustrated the uneven nature of inbound tourism growth during 2026.

While considerable increases were recorded in some markets, those gains were offset by the sharp decline in Chinese arrivals.

The available figures establish the extent of the contraction but do not identify its underlying causes.

Diplomatic Tensions Drive the Plunge in Chinese Arrivals

The drastic 55.5% reduction in Chinese visitors is primarily rooted in an ongoing diplomatic crisis between Beijing and Tokyo. Tensions escalated sharply in late 2025 following remarks by Japanese leadership regarding Taiwan, which prompted the Chinese government to issue strict travel warnings advising its citizens against visiting Japan. This geopolitical friction immediately triggered a massive wave of trip cancellations and quickly evolved into a broader tourism boycott, severely reducing airline capacity and tour group operations from China throughout 2026. Consequently, the steep decline highlights Beijing’s use of outbound tourism as economic leverage amid deteriorating bilateral relations, rather than a natural shift in consumer travel demand.

United States, Hong Kong and Australia Strengthen Japan’s International Visitor Base

Beyond Thailand, South Korea and Taiwan, several other international markets recorded positive growth, providing additional support for Japan’s tourism industry.

The United States remained Japan’s fourth-largest inbound tourism market, with approximately 2,522,800 American visitors recorded between January and September 2026.

This represented a 5.2% year-on-year increase, demonstrating continued growth in visitor arrivals from the American market.

Hong Kong occupied fifth position, contributing approximately 1,963,300 visitors. Arrivals from Hong Kong increased by 7.7% compared with the previous year.

Meanwhile, Australia ranked seventh among Japan’s largest international tourism markets.

Approximately 771,900 Australian visitors travelled to Japan during the reporting period, reflecting a 2.2% increase.

Although these growth rates differed, positive performances were recorded across all three markets.

The figures demonstrated that Japan continued to attract international visitors from a geographically diverse collection of countries and territories.

Such diversity remained important because visitor growth across several source markets helped reduce the overall impact of falling arrivals from China.

Nevertheless, the strength of individual markets could not fully compensate for the substantial Chinese visitor decline.

Philippines, Vietnam and Canada Contribute to Japan’s Inbound Tourism Growth

Additional support for Japan’s international tourism sector was provided by the Philippines, Vietnam and Canada, which completed the country’s ten largest inbound visitor markets.

The Philippines ranked eighth, with approximately 601,300 visitors recorded between January and September 2026.

Filipino visitor arrivals increased by 1.7% compared with the corresponding period in 2025.

Vietnam followed in ninth position, contributing approximately 551,100 visitors. A year-on-year increase of 4% was recorded.

Meanwhile, Canada occupied tenth position, with approximately 518,900 Canadian visitors travelling to Japan during the nine-month period.

Canadian arrivals increased by 4.9%, adding another positive result to Japan’s international tourism performance.

Although these markets accounted for smaller visitor volumes than South Korea, Taiwan and China, their continued expansion remained relevant.

Positive growth across the Philippines, Vietnam and Canada demonstrated that the overall slowdown was not being experienced uniformly across Japan’s international source markets.

Instead, different tourism markets were following noticeably different growth patterns.

Thai Visitor Arrivals Expected to Increase Further by the End of 2026

Despite the decline recorded during September, Thai outbound travel to Japan is expected to maintain positive momentum throughout 2026.

According to a forecast from Thailand’s travel industry, the number of Thai visitors travelling to Japan could increase by approximately 6% over the full year.

The projection follows a strong performance during 2025, when more than 1.23 million Thai travellers visited Japan.

Japan has continued to be identified as one of the preferred international destinations among Thai outbound travellers, alongside China.

The forecast suggests that the Japanese tourism market could continue benefiting from Thai visitor demand during the remaining months of 2026.

However, the anticipated annual growth remains a projection rather than a confirmed outcome.

The September decline also highlights the importance of distinguishing between short-term fluctuations and cumulative tourism performance.

While individual months may experience reduced arrivals, stronger results during other periods can still support positive annual growth.

Thailand’s position as Japan’s sixth-largest inbound market during the first nine months demonstrates its continued relevance to the country’s international tourism sector.

Japan’s Tourism Performance Highlights the Importance of Diverse International Markets

The January–September 2026 figures reveal a tourism market characterised by significant differences in visitor growth across countries.

South Korea and Taiwan recorded substantial increases, while Thailand, the United States, Hong Kong, Australia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Canada also registered positive performances.

In contrast, the sharp contraction in Chinese arrivals remained a major factor behind Japan’s overall inbound tourism decline.

The reported figures demonstrate that growth across multiple international markets can provide important support during periods of weakness in a major source market.

However, the available results also show that diversification does not automatically eliminate the effects of a substantial decline in visitor numbers from a leading market.

For Japan, the performance of Thailand and other expanding markets offers a clearer picture of where international visitor growth was being recorded in 2026.

Thailand, South Korea and Taiwan are helping sustain Japan’s tourism amid a Chinese visitor slump. Strong arrivals from these markets have helped offset a 55.5% plunge in Chinese visitors, although Japan’s overall inbound tourism declined by 2.9% in 2026.

Japan’s inbound tourism industry continued to receive important support from Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan and other international markets during the first nine months of 2026, despite the severe decline in Chinese visitor arrivals. South Korea led with more than 8.26 million visitors, while Thailand maintained sixth position with 835,000 arrivals and positive year-on-year growth. Although China’s 55.5% visitor decline contributed to Japan’s overall tourism contraction, growth across several Asian, North American and Oceanian markets demonstrated continued international travel demand. With further expansion in Thai arrivals forecast for the full year, the importance of a diversified tourism market has become increasingly evident.

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