World's 'most favorite country' named second fastest growing tourist destination

By Hoang Phong September 4, 2025 | 02:13 am PT

People walk along Takeshita street at Harajuku shopping area in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 10, 2024. Photo by Reuters

Japan, voted the "world's most favorite country" last year by readers of Condé Nast Traveler, was named the world's second fastest-growing tourist destination after South Korea, a report shows.

Japan recorded a 47.09% increase in international arrivals in 2024 compared with 2023, according to the Telegraph Travel analysis of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNTWO)’s global tourism statistics.

For the first seven months of 2025, total inbound visitors to Japan reached a record 24.9 million, an 18.4% increase year-on-year. If this momentum continues, Japan's annual inbound visitors in 2025 are expected to surpass 40 million.

A weaker yen, relaxed travel restrictions, and increased tourism campaigns have contributed to the surge in foreign arrivals.

The Asian country logged more than 36.8 million tourist arrivals last year.

South Korea was the world's fastest-growing destination with a year-on-year increase of 48.82%.

The rest of the top 10 were Chile, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Palau, Moldova, Peru, El Salvador and Hong Kong.