Travel Sectors
APA HOTEL, a Japanese hotel operator, accelerates its business in North America with acquisition of a luxury hotel in LA
APA HOTEL acquired Kimpton La Peer in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, through APA Hotel USA, having a goal to increase available rooms in foreign countries to 10,000 by March 2031.
Spending on local activities in Japan by international travelers accounts for just 5% of the total
‘Tabinka Summit 2026,' an event to discuss how activity operators can earn more money, showed that spending on local activities in Japan by international travelers accounts for just 5% of the total.
High-end private compartment class on Tokaido Shinkansen was unveiled before offered on October 1 2026
JR Tokai unveiled ‘Supreme Class,’ an upper class beyond the current ‘Green Class,’ which will be available on Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen between Tokyo and Hakata.
Narita Airport will be enhanced to 500,000 aircraft movements and a capacity of 75 million passengers a year
Narita is enhancing the airport functions to increase aircraft movements to 500,000 times a year, which are expected to increase capacities to 75 million passengers.
Japan Association of Travel Agents is rebuilding two-way tourism under new leadership, aiming at 20 million or more Japanese outbound travelers
Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) launched its new executive team in June 2026. They are rebuilding two-way tourism with a goal of 20 million or more Japanese outbound travelers.
The first Hyatt luxury brand ‘Alila’ in Japan will open in Sengokuhara Hakone in 2028
Hyatt luxury brand ‘Alila’ will open in Sengokuhara Hakone in 2028. ‘Alila Sengokuhara Hakone’ will be the first Alila in Japan.
Airbnb Japan prioritizes an increase in Japanese guests to contribute to disperse them to local areas
New Airbnb Japan Representative Director Shintaro Nakagawa talked about the strategy in the Japanese market, prioritizing to raise awareness of the brand in Japan to increase Japanese users.
Japanese travelers in this summer holiday season are estimated to reduce by 5% to 71.2 million - JTB forecast
The number of Japanese travelers in this summer holiday season (July 15 to August 31 2026) is estimated to reduce by 4.6% year on year to 71.2 million, according to JTB.
Awaji Island and Kobe City jointly promote gastronomy tourism with a goal to triple international guests
Awaji Island Tourist Association and Kobe Tourism Bureau in Hyogo Prefecture encourage tourists to stay there longer by offering local tourism experiences.
Spain's national tourism strategy centers on ‘residents,’ balancing their lives with tourism - Spain Talks in Japan
The Spanish Embassy's Tourism Office held the Spain Talks in Tokyo to discuss over-tourism, harmony with local residents' lives, the geographic dispersion of tourism, and the creation of experiential value.
ADR of major hotels in Japan rose by 8.6% to 17,818 yen, and the occupancy rate reached 83.3% in FY2025
According to Tokyo Shoko Research, ADR and the average occupancy rate of 13 major hotel brands reached the highest levels in FY2025 after the pandemic ended.
JTB、the Japan’s leading travel company, to acquire major Asian DMC ‘EXO Travel’ to expand its global business
JTB will acquire stocks of All Wise Holdings, which owns ‘EXO Travel,’ a major DMC in Asia to expand the travel businesses from Europe, US or Australia to Asia as a global leading DMC.
ANA and JAL will raise fuel surcharges again to the highest levels ever from July 2026
ANA and JAL will raise their fuel surcharges for the tickets from July 1 to August 31 2026 to the highest levels ever, depending on the latest Singapore Kerosine price.
SQUEEZE, a Japanese hotel operator, renovates a 50-years building in Shibuya to a longterm stay hotel
SQUEEZE will open "SHIFT HOTEL SHIBUYA JINNAN" in July 2026, renovating a 50-year-old building to meet mid-term or longterm stay guests’ needs.
Princess Cruises forms a partnership with Korea Tourism Organization to send 300,000 Japanese travelers to Korea
Carnival Japan, the Japanese office of Princess Cruises, recently signed a partnership with the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) to expand cruise tourism to South Korea.
JAL will augment five international routes, including San Diego and Bengaluru, to meet growing inbound travel demands
JAL will augment to daily flights on five international routes after September 2026 to meet growing inbound travel demands, including Narita-San Diego and Narita-Bengaluru after September 1.
Korea Tourism Organization and Peach Aviation, a Japanese LCC, form a partnership to increase Japanese travelers to Korea
Korea Tourism Organization and Peach Aviation, a Japanese LCC, signed a partnership agreement to increase Japanese travelers to Korea, especially to local areas.
The travel businesses in the AI era were discussed at WiT Japan 2026, saying that AI is already a premise
WiT Japan 2026 was held with a main theme of ‘The Next 20’ and a sub-theme of ‘Quiet Power’ in Tokyo on June 1 and 2 2026. What did speakers discuss for the future?
ANA and JAL release the second Joint Report on Sustainable Aviation Fuel to build a ‘Co-creation Model’
ANA and JAL released the second edition of their joint report, ‘Toward Net Zero CO2 Emissions from Air Transport in 2050,’ calling for a "Co-creation Model" for SAF by society.
Qatar Airways will restart Haneda and Kansai services soon and serve additional flights for Narita
Qatar Airways will restart five Doha/Kansai flights a week on June 16 and four Doha/Haneda flights a week on July 16.
