The number of overseas travelers to Japan in February hit a record high for the month, largely due to a surge in visitors from China during the Lunar New Year holidays.



Preliminary figures from the Japan National Tourism Organization show more than 3.2 million visitors from abroad arrived last month. That's up 16.9 percent from a year earlier.



Travelers from South Korea topped the list at 847,300. Arrivals from China jumped 57.3 percent to 722,700 to take second spot.



Visitors from the United States and Australia also rose, with many coming on skiing trips.



The tourism organization says February usually has relatively fewer travelers, so the latest figures show sustained demand.