Japan visitors reach post-COVID high for March blossoms - tourism agency

FILE PHOTO: Visitors ride boats next to blooming cherry blossoms at Chidorigafuchi Park in Tokyo, Japan, March 22, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato

TOKYO (Reuters) - Visitors to Japan surged to a post-COVID high in March, official data showed on Wednesday, as many international tourists flocked to see the nation's famous cherry blossoms for the first time in four years as travel curbs were gradually lifted.

The number of foreign visitors for business and leisure totalled 1.82 million in March, compared to 1.48 million in February, according to the Japan National Tourism Organisation.