Hokkaido Tourism Statistics: 46.13 Million Visitors a Year, Foreign Visitors by Country, Peak Months and Travel Purposes [FY2025]

Hokkaido received 46.13 million actual visitors in FY2025 (April 2025–March 2026). That breaks down into 37.94 million in-prefecture visitors, 4.88 million domestic visitors from outside Hokkaido, and 3.31 million foreign visitors. The total fell 7.1% from the previous fiscal year, but foreign visitors alone rose 16.9% to a record high (Hokkaido Government report, checked 2026-10-05).

By quarter, July–September was the busiest at 16.26 million, and October–December was the quietest at 8.38 million. Among foreign visitors alone, January–March was the busiest at 1.29 million. This article lays out who comes, when, where, why and how they get around, using only the official statistics the Hokkaido Government published in September 2026. Actual visitors and cumulative totals, and fiscal years and calendar years, are never mixed, and every table carries its source and check date.

How many people visit Hokkaido a year? Of 46.13 million, over 80% are in-prefecture visitors and 3.31 million are foreign visitors

Start with “actual visitors.” An actual visitor is counted as one person even if they visit five municipalities on a single trip. The fiscal-year breakdown is in the table below.

Category	Actual visitors (10,000 people)	Share	Change vs. prior year
In-prefecture visitors	3,794	82.3%	−8.7%
Domestic visitors from outside Hokkaido	488	10.6%	−7.4%
Foreign visitors	331	7.2%	+16.9%
Total	4,613	100.0%	−7.1%

Split by day trips and overnight stays, there were 31.31 million day-trip visitors and 14.82 million overnight visitors. Most in-prefecture visitors are day-trippers, with 31.26 million day trips against 6.68 million overnight stays. Out-of-prefecture visitors are the opposite: of 4.88 million, 4.83 million stayed overnight and only 0.05 million (50,000) were day-trippers. Nearly every domestic visitor from outside Hokkaido takes a trip that includes a night in Hokkaido.

Category	Day trips (10,000 people)	Overnight (10,000 people)	Total (10,000 people)
In-prefecture visitors	3,126	668	3,794
Out-of-prefecture visitors	5	483	488
Foreign visitors	―	331	331
Total	3,131	1,482	4,613

The 3.31 million foreign visitors exceed the previous record of 3.12 million, set in FY2018. In a year when both in-prefecture and out-of-prefecture visitors declined, foreign visitors propped up the total.

What does “155.27 million total visits” count? How it differs from actual visitors

Hokkaido’s tourism statistics also report “total visits” in addition to actual visitors. Total visits are a simple sum of each municipality’s visitor count, so one person who visits five municipalities is counted as five. For FY2025, total visits across Hokkaido were 155.27 million (+1.3% from the previous year), and total guest nights were 41.54 million (+2.7%, a record high) (Hokkaido Government report, checked 2026-10-05).

Total visits are higher because the same person is counted many times. Use the actual-visitor figure of 46.13 million when you want to know how many people came to Hokkaido, and use total visits when you want to compare how many people moved through regions or months.

How it is counted	FY2025 figure	What it represents
Actual visitors	46.13 million	Number of travelers. One person even if they visit several municipalities
Total visits (arrivals)	155.27 million	Sum of visitor counts for each municipality. Used to compare regions and months
Total guest nights	41.54 million guest nights	Sum of overnight guests multiplied by nights stayed
Total guest nights by foreign visitors	10.38 million guest nights (10,382,000 guest nights)	Overnight total for foreign visitors only. A different count from the 3.31 million actual visitors

Which countries and regions do foreign visitors come from? South Korea leads in people at 1.04 million, Taiwan leads in nights

Of the 3.31 million foreign visitors, Asia accounts for about 2.77 million, or 84% (Asia total 83.7%). By country and region, South Korea leads in actual visitors at 1,036,000, followed by Taiwan at 717,700 and Mainland China at 412,100 (Hokkaido Government report, checked 2026-10-05).

For how many Korean travellers come and what they do, see “1.036 Million Visitors from South Korea to Hokkaido a Year: What They Do, Where They Stay, Winter Flights and the Outlook [2026]”.

Country / region	Actual visitors (people)	Share	Prior year (people)	Change vs. prior year	Total guest nights (10,000 guest nights)
South Korea	1,036,000	31.3%	839,500	+23.4%	194.4
Taiwan	717,700	21.7%	604,800	+18.7%	238.6
Mainland China	412,100	12.5%	460,300	−10.5%	147.8
Hong Kong	173,200	5.2%	175,500	−1.3%	70.2
United States	172,200	5.2%	136,800	+25.9%	58.4
Thailand	146,600	4.4%	121,500	+20.7%	48.8
Australia	113,800	3.4%	92,300	+23.3%	49.1
Malaysia	84,600	2.6%	66,500	+27.2%	30.7
Philippines	62,500	1.9%	32,600	+91.7%	18.2
Singapore	61,000	1.8%	57,800	+5.5%	57.8
Indonesia	48,200	1.5%	27,600	+74.6%	16.3
Canada	42,600	1.3%	38,400	+10.9%	8.8
United Kingdom	35,900	1.1%	27,100	+32.5%	8.7
Other Asia	24,600	0.7%	16,400	+50.0%	5.1
Other (Europe, North America, Australia, etc.)	174,400	5.3%	129,800	+34.4%	85.3
Total	3,305,400	100.0%	2,827,000	+16.9%	1,038.2

What stands out is that the ranking flips between people and nights. South Korea exceeds Taiwan by a little over 300,000 people, but Taiwan’s 2.386 million guest nights exceed South Korea’s 1.944 million. That works out to a longer average stay per person for Taiwan.

Compared with the previous year, only two markets fell: Mainland China, down 10.5%, and Hong Kong, down 1.3%. South Korea rose 23.4%, Taiwan 18.7%, the United States 25.9% and Australia 23.3%.

When do they come? By quarter, in-prefecture visitors dominate summer and foreign visitors stand out in winter

Splitting actual visitors into April–June, July–September, October–December and January–March, July–September is the peak for the total. For foreign visitors alone, though, January–March is the peak, and their share rises to 12.7% (Hokkaido Government report, checked 2026-10-05).

Quarter	Total (10,000 people)	In-prefecture visitors	Out-of-prefecture visitors	Foreign visitors	Foreign share
April–June	1,134	974	109	51	4.5%
July–September	1,626	1,350	203	73	4.5%
October–December	838	665	95	78	9.3%
January–March	1,016	805	82	129	12.7%

Domestic visitors from outside Hokkaido peak in July–September at 2.03 million and are lowest in January–March at 0.82 million. Foreign visitors are the reverse: 1.29 million in January–March against only 0.51 million in April–June and 0.73 million in July–September. Foreign visitors make up 4.5% in both April–June and July–September, and 12.7% in January–March. In winter, it is foreign travelers who stand out.

August is the busiest month and December the quietest | Foreign overnight stays cluster in December–February

Monthly statistics are published only as total visits. Total visits across Hokkaido peak in August at 22.289 million and bottom out in December at 7.98 million. August is about 2.8 times December. November, at 8.507 million, is the second lowest (Hokkaido Government report, Data Volume, checked 2026-10-05).

Month	Total visits, Hokkaido (10,000 people)	Of which out-of-prefecture visitors (10,000 people)	Total guest nights (10,000 guest nights)	Total guest nights, foreign visitors (10,000 guest nights)
April	926.1	235.2	231.2	46.8
May	1,543.8	366.3	303.3	49.7
June	1,515.4	451.3	336.0	61.7
July	1,869.3	589.7	409.7	80.5
August	2,228.9	664.9	437.8	70.2
September	1,665.7	492.3	353.8	52.2
October	1,335.2	397.1	341.3	70.7
November	850.7	252.9	280.4	55.1
December	798.0	287.5	358.4	142.3
January	879.0	311.5	374.7	160.2
February	986.5	368.1	389.6	151.4
March	928.2	297.6	338.3	97.5

Visits and overnight stays rank the months differently. December has the fewest visits at 7.98 million, yet its total guest nights of 3.584 million exceed May’s 3.033 million and June’s 3.36 million. Overnight guests make up 24.0% of December visits (1.914 million overnight guests) against 15.1% in August (3.357 million), so in winter a higher share of visitors stay overnight.

Total guest nights by foreign visitors peak in January at 1.602 million and are lowest in April at 0.468 million. The four months from December to March alone account for 5.514 million guest nights, or 53.1% of the annual 10.382 million.

Which regions draw the most people? Central Hokkaido has 56.4% of total visits and 72.5% of foreign overnight stays

Dividing Hokkaido into six regions, Central Hokkaido accounts for 87.53 million total visits, or 56.4%. Its share of total guest nights is 61.7%, and for foreign overnight stays alone it rises to 72.5% (Hokkaido Government report, checked 2026-10-05).

Region	Total visits (10,000 people)	Share	Total guest nights (10,000 guest nights)	Share	Total guest nights, foreign visitors (10,000 guest nights)	Share
Central Hokkaido	8,753	56.4%	2,565	61.7%	752.6	72.5%
Northern Hokkaido	2,271	14.6%	470	11.3%	138.9	13.4%
Southern Hokkaido	1,449	9.3%	568	13.7%	90.8	8.7%
Tokachi	1,198	7.7%	205	4.9%	20.4	2.0%
Kushiro-Nemuro	948	6.1%	179	4.3%	20.3	2.0%
Okhotsk	908	5.8%	168	4.0%	15.3	1.5%
All Hokkaido	15,527	100.0%	4,154	100.0%	1,038.2	100.0%

Southern Hokkaido has 9.3% of total visits but 13.7% of total guest nights, so it has a high share of overnight stays. Tokachi is the opposite, with 7.7% of total visits but only 4.9% of total guest nights.

The five regions other than Central Hokkaido together account for 43.6% of total visits. Foreign visitors concentrate in Central Hokkaido, while domestic visitors spread out to Northern Hokkaido, Southern Hokkaido and eastern Hokkaido as well.

By municipality? Sapporo 16.05 million, Otaru 8.35 million, Hakodate 6.06 million, in that order

By total visits, Sapporo City is first at 16.047 million, followed by Otaru City and Hakodate City. In fourth place, Kitahiroshima City has 5.732 million, and the Hokkaido Government report cites visits to F Village as one reason visits to Central Hokkaido rose (Hokkaido Government report, checked 2026-10-05). For total guest nights, the top three are Sapporo City, Hakodate City and Kushiro City.

Rank	Municipality with most total visits	10,000 people	Municipality with most total guest nights	10,000 guest nights
1	Sapporo City	1,604.7	Sapporo City	1,754.5
2	Otaru City	834.6	Hakodate City	504.3
3	Hakodate City	605.8	Kushiro City	129.5
4	Kitahiroshima City	573.2	Otaru City	123.2
5	Asahikawa City	524.7	Obihiro City	119.8
6	Kushiro City	445.0	Asahikawa City	117.5
7	Kimobetsu Town	409.9	Kutchan Town	113.2
8	Noboribetsu City	321.6	Noboribetsu City	105.8
9	Tomakomai City	279.6	Furano City	79.8
10	Otofuke Town	279.1	Shimukappu Village	67.3

Otaru City ranks second for total visits but fourth for total guest nights. Some cities rank higher for overnight stays than for visits: Kushiro City is sixth for visits but third for stays, and Obihiro City is 12th for visits but fifth for stays.

Why do they come? Nature and scenery is the top reason for choosing Hokkaido, cited by 76% of foreign visitors

From here on, the figures come from a visitor survey by the Hokkaido Tourism Organization. Between July 2025 and February 2026, 4,566 respondents (1,144 in-prefecture visitors, 1,173 out-of-prefecture visitors and 2,191 foreign visitors) answered at 104 tourist spots and airports across Hokkaido. These are respondent percentages, not a count of every visitor (Hokkaido Tourism Organization summary report, checked 2026-10-05).

Reason for choosing Hokkaido (multiple answers)	In-prefecture visitors	Out-of-prefecture visitors	Foreign visitors
Nature and scenery	43%	61%	76%
Food	36%	51%	39%
Hot springs	18%	―	21%
Relaxing time	17%	―	29%
A destination or event I wanted to go to	―	24%	―
Outdoor activities	―	―	18%
Nature and scenery as the single main reason	20%	28%	40%

Nature and scenery ranks first in all three groups. Of foreign visitors, 29% cite “relaxing time,” above the 17% of in-prefecture visitors.

What they did on the trip (multiple answers)	Out-of-prefecture visitors	Foreign visitors
Enjoying food	63%	46%
Nature, scenic spots and experiencing the four seasons	54%	55%
Hot springs	36%	36%
Shopping and local specialties	24%	43%
Strolling around town	―	54%
Outdoor activities	8%	32% (total for outdoor-type activities)

Food is the top answer for out-of-prefecture visitors at 63%, while for foreign visitors nature and scenic spots (55%) and strolling around town (54%) are nearly tied. Outdoor activities fell from the previous year in both groups: 8% for out-of-prefecture visitors (10% a year earlier) and 32% for foreign visitors (37% a year earlier).

How do they get around? Foreign visitors use trains (66%); out-of-prefecture visitors split 33% rail, 33% rental cars

Transportation within Hokkaido comes from the same visitor survey. Out-of-prefecture visitors use trains and rental cars (excluding campervans) at 33% each, and private cars including campervans at 20%, which the report describes as “rising to two in ten.” Among foreign visitors, trains lead at 66%, followed by local buses at 35%, tour buses at 26% and rental cars including campervans at 20% (Hokkaido Tourism Organization summary report, checked 2026-10-05).

Transportation in Hokkaido (multiple answers)	In-prefecture visitors	Out-of-prefecture visitors	Foreign visitors
Train	―	33%	66%
Rental car (excluding campervans)	―	33%	―
Rental car including campervans	―	―	20%
Private car including campervans	―	20%	―
Private car	82%	―	―
Local bus	―	―	35%
Tour bus	―	―	26%

The length of stay also differs. The average number of nights across the whole trip is 5.4 for out-of-prefecture visitors (5.0 of them in Hokkaido) and 9.9 for foreign visitors (6.3 of them in Hokkaido, up from 7.0 the previous year). First-time visitors to Hokkaido were 16% of out-of-prefecture visitors and 64% of foreign visitors.

The Hokkaido District Transport Bureau publishes separate figures on foreign visitors’ use of cars. Rental car contracts with foreign visitors in Hokkaido reached about 140,000 in FY2024, 1.4 times the previous year (Hokkaido District Transport Bureau press release (September 7, 2026), sourced to the Hokkaido Rent-a-Car Association Federation, checked 2026-10-05).

In October 2025 alone, there were 14,656 vehicles, a record high and 24.0% more than a year earlier. For rental car contracts with foreign visitors, travelers from Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong are said to account for 60% of the Hokkaido total (Hokkaido District Transport Bureau press release (January 19, 2026), checked 2026-10-05).

For the documents you need to rent a car or campervan in Japan with a foreign driver’s license, see Can you rent with a foreign license? Required documents by nationality.

What these numbers tell travelers: busy months, quiet months and winter visitors from overseas

From the figures so far, we have narrowed it down to four points useful for trip planning. These are only what the numbers directly support, so booking availability and rates need to be checked separately.

What you want to know	Figures to look at	What they tell you
Busiest months	August total visits of 22.289 million, July 18.693 million	People concentrate in July–August. Plan summer trips on the assumption of booking early
Quiet months	December 7.98 million, November 8.507 million, January 8.79 million	Visits are lowest in November–January. But total guest nights in December are 3.584 million, more than in May or June
Who increases in winter	1.29 million foreign visitors in January–March; 53.1% of foreign total guest nights fall in December–March	Foreign travelers increase in winter. 72.5% concentrate in Sapporo and Central Hokkaido
Who increases in summer	Out-of-prefecture visitors: 2.03 million in July–September; 6.649 million total visits in August	Domestic visitors from outside Hokkaido peak in summer. January–March is the lowest at 0.82 million
Where people gather	Central Hokkaido has 56.4% of total visits; Sapporo City 16.047 million	The rest of Hokkaido has 43.6%. Kushiro and Obihiro rank higher for overnight stays

• To avoid crowds, November, December and April, which have fewer total visits, are candidates. For a November trip, see What can you do on a November trip to Hokkaido; for the climate and costs of each season, see Best time for a Hokkaido campervan trip.
• If you are going in summer despite the crowds, the costs and crowd tips in the summer travel guide (July–August) are a useful guide.
• If you are traveling in winter, check early for lodging in Central Hokkaido, where foreign overnight stays concentrate, and get familiar with snowy-road driving in the winter travel guide.
• From December to February, total guest nights hold up even when visits are low, so lodging is not just a summer concern.

Who is interested in trips sleeping in a vehicle? 26% of in-prefecture visitors, 22% of out-of-prefecture visitors

Campervans are not a separate item in these statistics. Only two related figures are available (Hokkaido Tourism Organization summary report, checked 2026-10-05).

• Among keywords of future interest, “carefree travel sleeping in a vehicle” was chosen by 26% of in-prefecture visitors (the top answer) and 22% of out-of-prefecture visitors (second, after adventure travel at 25%). Foreign visitors chose adventure travel most at 45%, followed by sustainable tourism at 31%.
• For transportation within Hokkaido, 20% of out-of-prefecture visitors used a private car including campervans, and 20% of foreign visitors used a rental car including campervans. The share for campervans alone is not known.

The number of campervans rented out or owned in Hokkaido could not be confirmed in either the Hokkaido Government statistics or the Hokkaido Tourism Organization survey. This article does not include it. If you are looking for a vehicle to rent, starting with an article that compares bases and rates is the quickest route.

For a guide to the total cost of a rental, see Hokkaido campervan 1-week cost; for facilities where you can stay in winter, see 13 RV parks and Michi-no-Eki where you can stay overnight in winter.

What to read next

• When is the best time for a Hokkaido campervan trip? Climate, crowds and costs across the four seasons
• Hokkaido campervan winter guide | Drift ice, Snow Festival and cold-weather prep
• Hokkaido campervan summer guide | Best spots, costs and crowd tips for July–August
• Can you rent a Hokkaido campervan with a foreign license? Required documents by nationality
• Hokkaido campervan rental price guide | Costs by vehicle type and total estimates