Things I love to see: Niigata's tourism numbers growing

As a Niigata resident and a big advocate for people heading off the beaten path, I was really glad to see an article via NHK about tourism numbers to the prefecture. Last year, more than 63.4 million people visited Niigata, which is about a million more than the year before. The figure is still below the 73 million visitors in 2019, but it represents about 85 percent of the pre-pandemic level.

The visits were supported by a range of different events and attractions, too. More than 11.4 million people attended ceremonies and large gatherings, including over 650,000 at Toki Messe for academic conferences and concerts, and nearly 600,000 at Big Swan Stadium for sports. The Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, which is held every three years and takes place very close to where I live, also drew more than 540,000 people. Highly recommend anyone visiting it who hasn't already.

The Echigo Tsumari Art Triennale is a must if you love contemporary art in its myriad forms.

Sado Island also saw strong growth, welcoming nearly one million visitors, an increase of about 14 percent from the previous year. Many came to see the Sado Island Gold Mine (which was registered as a World Heritage Site last year), as well as Toki Forest Park.

Have you visited Niigata before?