HIS revealed that overseas travel bookings in this summer vacation period (July 19 to August 31) was up 8.2% year on year as of June 23. The bookings were 59% from air tickets and 41% from package tours, which was 1.7 points higher than a year ago. The average cost was up 7% to 204,300 yen because long-range and high-value tours are more preferred, like 17.4% up for Europe or 36.2% up for Middle East.
The most-booked destination was Seoul, followed by Taipei, Honolulu. Bookings for Hawaii were up 20.3% because of stronger yen than a year ago and an increase in ANA and JAL flights. The highest growth rate was seen in Shanghai maybe because of visa waiver for Japanese people since November 2024, followed by Paris, Guam, Cairo and Barcelona.
Higher average domestic travel cost
Domestic travel bookers were up 7.6% year on year. The ratio of bookings before May accounted for 38.5%, higher than 32.6% in 2019, because the earlier booking trend is influenced by higher inbound travel demand, according to HIS.
The average cost was up 4.1% to 95,000 yen due to rise in airfares, and for Okinawa, a destination with the most bookings, it was up 5% to 107,800 yen.
The most-booked destination was Okinawa, followed by Hokkaido, Nagasaki, Osaka and Fukuoka. Shimane, where Izumo Taisha or Tamatsukuri Onsen are popular, was ranked up from 15th a year ago to 10th maybe because of lower cost than other destinations.
