News

‘Tsugitsugi,’ a subscription-based accommodation service operated by Tokyu, was named a finalist in the "Travel Innovation & New Business Model Award" category at the Tourism Innovation Awards 2026 (TIS2026).

Travel + Leisure Co. will open the renovated ski resort ‘Club Wyndham Maruike Shiga Kogen’ in December 2026 as it second Wyndham resort in the area.

JTB BÓKUN has begun offering a new function ‘Channel Manager API’ that allows local activity providers to connect realtime with their existing booking or ticketing systems.

Konica Minolta Japan will launch an AI-powered telephone interpretation service, part of its multilingual communication support service ‘KOTOBAL.

Nippon Travel Agency or NTA forms a strategic alliance with MEDIACONNECT, a subsidiary of Agence France-Presse (AFP), to disseminate information about various regions across Japan to journalists worldwide.

Japan Customer Satisfaction Index 2026 shows ‘Imperial Hotel’ was chosen as the top for 18 years in a row in the city hotel category.

The Japan’s leisure market scale was up 3.9% year on year to 78.1 trillion yen in 2025. The value of in-person experiential activities has risen, while consumer spending has been further bolstered by ‘oshi-katsu (fan activity).'

ANA Holdings has started discussing with Regional Plus Wings to make AIR DO and Solaseed Air 100% subsidiaries of ANA HD, integrating their operations into the ANA brand in the future.

LY Corporation or LINE Yahoo has launched the AI-powered telephone answer service ‘LINE AI Reservation’ for restaurants. the AI manages reservations and answers inquiries in human-like dialogue.

Narita International Airport operates the most total flights a week and the most international passenger flights a week in the winter schedule of 2026 (October 25 2026 to March 27 2027) since it opened.

Spending by international visitors for the third quarter of 2026 (July to September) increased by 3.2% year on year to 2.2 trillion yen. By nationality, the top was France at 423,021 yen per person.

The number of Japanese international travelers in September 2026 was up 6.3% year on year to 1,481,900, YOY growth for the first time in the past three months.

The number of international arrivals in Japan in September 2026 decreased by 5.0% year on year to 3,103,700, yerar-on-year reduction for two consecutive months.

The Chugoku Bank, a local bank in Okayama Prefecture, has started to establish a business framework to develop and sell high-valued tourism experiences in the Kurashiki area.

‘Travel CUBE,’ an ANA MaaS platform service, and ‘JR-WEST ONLINE TRAIN RESERVATION,’ a JR West online booking service for foreigners, are linked for railway bookings by users.

HX Expeditions, a long-established provider of polar expedition cruises, talked about now and future in the Japanese market, expecting annual growth of 50% to 100% over the next three to five years.

Japan was chosen as the most attractive destination in the world for four years in row in ‘The Reader’s Choice Awards’ of US edition Condé Nast Traveler.

ANA and JAL will raise their fuel surcharges for the international flight tickets from November 1 to December 31 2026.

‘SUSHI BUS,’ a service that allows passengers to enjoy conveyor-belt sushi while gazing at Tokyo's cityscape from a double-decker bus, is available.

Mitsui Ocean Cruises began operating ‘MITSUI OCEAN SAKURA.' They aim to raise the ratio of inbound passengers across the two ships to as much as 30%.