News
JTB launches a new sharing service for baggage delivery in Japan to match a traveler with a driver
JTB has launched a new sharing service ‘Baggage GO’ to match a traveler who wants to deliver baggage in a tourist destination with a driver who wants to take it on a system.
Visitors to Tourism EXPO Japan 2025 reached 126,900 in total for four days, exceeding the initial expectation
The number of visitors to “Tourism EXPO Japan 2025’ at Aichi Sky Expo from September 25 to 28 2025 was 126,900 in total, exceeding the initial expectation of 100,000.
Event booking platform ‘Peatix’ launches a multi-language booking service for international visitors to Japan
Event booking platform ‘Peatix’ has launched ‘Visiting Japan,’ a new service for international visitors to Japan to find and book events in multi-languages.
WTTC forecasts Japan will be the most serious country in shortage of tourism workforces in 2035
World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) released ‘Future of the Travel & Tourism Workforce." Japan is most severely affected, with a labor supply shortfall of 29% compared to demand levels in 2035.
Airbnb and JTB, the largest Japanese travel agent, launch a local revitalization project in Japan, expecting to bring the success stories to the world
JTB and Airbnb Japan have launched a local revitalization project named ‘Mirai Nigiwai Kobo’ in Japanese to solve a variety of issues in local areas and create new sustainable values.
JR East, a Japanese railway company, extends a ticketless service for foreign travelers to Shinkansen and Narita Express
JR East, a Japanese railway company covering eastern Japan, has begun linking ‘Welcome Suica Mobile,’ an app for international visitors to Japan, with JR-EAST Train Reservation,’ a ticket booking platform.
Japanese OTA Rakuten Travel launches AI agent to assist users find accommodations meeting their needs, based on reviews and booking trends
Rakuten Travel, one of the largest OTAs in Japan, has launched an AI agent ‘Rakuten Travel AI Hotel Search’ that assists a user to find hotel or ryokan candidates, based on reviews and the booking trend analysis data.
Yokohama City Visitors Bureau launched a new tourism branding campaign ‘Blooming Yokohama’ toward GREEN×EXPO 2027
Yokohama City Visitors Bureau launched a new tourism branding campaign ‘Blooming Yokohama’ to create momentum for ‘GREEN×EXPO 2027,' which will be held from March 19 to September 26 2027.
Narita Airport handled the first 1 million Japanese passengers in August 2025 since the pandemic ended
The number of Japanese passengers from/to Narita Airport in August 2025 was up15% year on year to 1,050,000, exceeding 1 million a month for the first time since the pandemic ended.
‘Tourism EXPO Japan 2025’ was held in Aichi for the first time, opening with the prime minister’s remark that tourism is a trump for local revitalization
Tourism EXPO Japan 2025 with a theme of ‘Travel for Discovery and New Encounters’ opened at Aichi Sky Expo in Aichi Prefecture on September 25. At the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba sent a video message: “Tourism is a core industry in the regions.
Activity booking management system ‘JTB BÓKUN’ launches a new system linkage to manage both domestic and overseas bookings
‘JTB BÓKUN,’ an activity booking management system, has launched a new system linkage with ‘OMUSUBI,’ a SEEC’s booking management system to manage bookings from multiple OTAs.
Seibu Prince Hotel of Japan acquires Seattle-based lifestyle hotel brand Ace Hotel to accelerate its global business development
Prince Hotels Worldwide (SPW) will acquire all stocks of Seattle-based lifestyle hotel brand Ace Group International LLC (AGI) at up to $90 million. SPW is going to accelerate its global business development strategy.
Airbnb contributed to 770 billion yen to GDP in Japan, with three days stay on average by international guests
Airbnb's economic contribution to GDP by stays and the related spending in Japan amounted to 770 billion yen in 2024, according to the survey conducted by Oxford Economics.
Japanese outbound travelers were up 15% year on year to 1.65 million, 80% of the 2019 level
The number of Japanese outbound travelers in August 2025 was up 14.7% year on year to 1,648,300, the most outbound travelers in this year.
International arrivals in Japan reached 3.4 million in August 2025, the first over 3 million for August
The number of international arrivals in Japan in August 2025 was up 16.9% year on year to 3,428,000. After the single-digit growths for the past two months, the growth rate returned to double-digit again.
QR code for Shinkansen on Wechat mini program is now available for Chinese travelers, who can pass through the gate by holding it on
JR Tokai, JR West Japan and JR Kyushu have begun selling QR code for Shinkansen, instead of paper tickets, for Chinese travelers on Wechat mini program, working with Linktivity.
The city in Asia with the most repeat travelers in the first half of 2025 was Bangkok, followed by Tokyo
OTA Agoda announced that the city in Asia with the most repeat travelers in the first half of 2025 was Bangkok, followed by Tokyo. By country or region, the top was Japan.
Yahoo! Search offers a function for a user to create travel routes in conversation with generative AI
ahoo! Search has begun offering a AI assistant function for a user to create travel routes in conversation with generative AI.
A Nihonbashi tour in Tokyo remotely guided by an avatar robot on a traveler’s shoulder is launched
A new tour guided by avatar robot ‘OriHime’ in Nihonbashi area was launched. A pilot can guide a traveler through the "OriHime" that sets on your shoulders, allowing them to walk and talk.
Tourism EXPO Japan 2025 will open in Aichi on September 25, appealing countries or regions directly fling from Centrair Airport
‘Tourism EXPO Japan 2025 Aichi/Central Japan (TEJ2025)’ with a theme of ‘Travel for Discovery and New Encounters’ will open at Aichi Sky Expo for four days from September 25 2025.
