TOKYO, Aug 21 — Japan set a second-straight monthly record for visitors in July, official data showed on Friday, as the weak yen and summer holidays propelled a tourism boom.

The number of foreign visitors for business and leisure was 3.29 million, an all-time high for any month and topping the previous record of 3.14 million in June, data from the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) showed.

School holidays in East Asia and Europe contributed to significant increases from those regions, the JNTO said. More than 21 million visitors have arrived in Japan through July, on pace to smash through the annual record of 31.9 million in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic shut global borders.

Although the yen has strengthened recently, it touched a 38-year low against the dollar last month, making Japan a bargain destination. Out of 23 markets tracked by the JNTO, travellers from 19 regions set new records for July arrivals. — Reuters