Before you pack your bags and update that vacay story on Instagram, consider this: some of the world's most breathtaking destinations are gasping for air. In 2023, while the globe rotated it also resonated with environmental alarm bells, forcing us to confront the impact of our wanderlust.
Japan saw a slight decline in visitors in May from the previous month, when a rush of tourists came to see the nation's famous cherry blossoms without COVID-19 restrictions, official data showed on Wednesday. The number of foreign visitors for business and leisure came in just below 1.9 million last month from a post-pandemic high of 1.95 million in April, the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) said. Travellers from China, previously Japan's biggest tourist segment and the lifeblood of many retailers, grew 24% to 134,400 in June, though still far below 2019 levels.