TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese tourists were the biggest foreign spenders in Japan in the second quarter, according to a Japanese tourism agency.

Japan saw foreign tourists spend 1.2 trillion yen (US$8.46 billion, NT$265.6 billion) between April and June, per a report by the Japan Tourism Agency. Coming out on top were travelers from Taiwan, who spent 173.9 billion yen (NT$38.5 billion) during that period.

Taiwan was followed by the U.S., China, South Korea, and Hong Kong. Visitors from these countries and regions spent 173.3 billion yen, 151.5 billion yen, 142.9 billion yen, and 91.6 billion yen, respectively.

A total of 984,000 Taiwanese tourists visited Japan in the second quarter, with each person spending an average of 176,800 yen. The average spending figure jumped 48.4% compared to the same period in 2019.

Shopping accounted for most of Taiwanese spending (66 billion yen). Accommodation came second at 44.6 billion yen, followed by dining (40.7 billion yen), transportation (16.4 billion yen), and recreation and services (6.3 billion yen).

Japan has been the most popular travel destination so far this summer for Taiwanese, according to a June report by Klook, a travel service provider. Thailand was the second most popular and South Korea the third.

Over 1.4 million Taiwanese traveled to Japan between January and May, according to the latest data from Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau.