Sayaka Usui, Executive Director of Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) Frankfurt Office, explained about the German market for Japan at ITB Berlin. She said that the market structure has recently changed, referring to an increase in spending, an increase in younger travelers and their interests in local experiences.
Usui also pointed out that there are many German travel brands that have already dealt with tours to Japan, and they want to keep the current business relationships. At the same time, she added, “With the increasing demand for travel to Japan, including individual travelers, there is a growing trend among tour operators to seek out new DMCs for projects that cannot be handled by the existing DMCs alone.”
Germany is a top source market in spending
German travelers to Japan in 2025 increased by 80% or more compared to 2019, and the German market was a top in terms of spending per traveler. Usui reveled, “A German traveler spent about 390,000 yen on average. That surprised me.” In the summer holiday season, it rose to about 430,000 yen because of more family travelers and longer holidays.
The average travel days in Japan were 18 days. Spending to accommodations accounted for 46% of the total, and spending to shopping has recently increased. She analyzed that the change of spending structure is probably affected by a variety of factors, such as more knowledge about Japan than before or weak yen.
Sayaka Usui, Executive Director of JNTO Frankfurt Office
Majority is now 20s and 30s
The demographics of German travelers to Japan has recently changed, too. According to Usui, the majority used to be 40s or older, but in 2024 and 2025, 20s and 30s accounted for more than 50% of the total.
“Japan is no linger one of the bucket list destinations,” Usui said. “Japan has become a more accessible destination than before.”
Interests in Japan extend widely
Usui said that nature experiences in Japan have recently attracted German travelers’ attentions, and destinations in Japan have been more diversified to local areas. “We have more inquires about Shikoku or islands in Setouchi area,” she added. “Germans made up the largest number of visitors to Okinawa among Europeans.” Frankfurt office has focused on promoting nature and outdoor experiences throughout Japan in recent years to increase awareness.
Usui said, "It's important to connect the regions that tour operators are interested in with the regions in Japan that are focusing on the German market," emphasizing the importance of building continuous relationships.
