TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The number of foreign visitors to Japan topped 36 million in 2024 in a new all-time high, boosted by a weak yen and the resumption of flight routes to Japan following the COVID-19 pandemic, while their spending surpassed 8 trillion yen ($50.8 billion) for the first time on record, government data showed Wednesday.

Foreign tourists spent a total of 8.14 trillion yen on accommodation, shopping and other expenses in 2024, surpassing the previous record of 5.31 trillion yen set in 2023, preliminary figures from the Japan Tourism Agency showed.

A record 36.87 million foreign tourists visited Japan in 2024 as peak travel periods, including the seasons for cherry blossoms and autumn foliage, contributed to annual visitor numbers from 20 markets setting new record highs, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.

Cumulative figures from January to November last year had already surpassed the previous full-year high of 31.88 million set in 2019, before the pandemic.

The largest number of travelers in 2024 came from South Korea at 8.82 million, followed by China at 6.98 million, up almost three-fold from 2023, and Taiwan at 6.04 million.

Chinese visitors spent the most amount of money at 1.73 trillion yen, comprising 21.3 percent of the overall total, followed by 1.09 trillion spent by Taiwanese and 963.2 billion by South Koreans.

The largest portion of total spending at 33.6 percent, or 2.74 trillion yen, went on accommodation, followed by shopping expenses at 29.5 percent and dining at 21.5 percent.

Visitors to Japan spent around 227,000 yen per person on average, with Britons spending the most at around 383,000 yen, closely followed by Australians at 382,000 yen and Spaniards at 370,000 yen.

In December alone, the number of visitors to Japan stood at 3.49 million, up 27.6 percent from a year earlier and hitting a record high for a single month. The surge was driven by travel demand during the school holidays, as well as the Christmas and New Year holiday seasons in many countries, the JNTO said.

Tourism spending is now second only to the 17.2 trillion yen generated by automobile exports in 2023, surpassing the 5.4 trillion yen from semiconductors and 4.5 trillion yen from steel, according to the Finance Ministry's trade statistics.

The government aims to attract 60 million visitors a year and increase their annual spending to 15 trillion yen by 2030, but faces issues related to overtourism and labor shortages in the hospitality sector.

Efforts are also under way to attract more high-end travelers as well as encourage visitors to venture beyond major cities by improving access to regional airports.