Hotel Guests in Japan Down 44.3 Pct in 2020

Tokyo, June 30 (Jiji Press)--The number of guests who stayed at hotels and "ryokan" Japanese-style inns in Japan in 2020 dropped 44.3 pct from the previous year to 331.65 million, the lowest level since data began in 2010, the Japan Tourism Agency said Wednesday. Voluntary restrictions by domestic travelers and tighter border controls amid the novel coronavirus pandemic caused the slump. Japanese travelers accounted for 311.31 million of the total, down 35.2 pct, and foreign travelers 20.35 million, down 82.4 pct. By prefecture, Osaka saw the biggest plunge, with a fall of 58.4 pct, followed by 58.0 pct for Okinawa, 54.8 pct for Kyoto and 52.2 pct for Tokyo. The number of guests plummeted in April and May last year when the country was under the first state of emergency over the pandemic, with drops of 78.7 pct and 82.6 pct, respectively. The pace of drop slowed to some 30 pct between October and December. The average room occupancy rate in 2020 hit a record low of 34.3 pct. END