News
Foreigners’ guest nights in Japan were up 32% in December 2023 compared to pre-pandemic
The total number of guest nights in December 2023 (provisionally) was up 9.4% year on year to 51.5 million, which were also up 9.3% compared to the same month of 2019. Foreigner travelers were up 32.3% to 12.1 million.
JAL will launch daily Haneda-Doha service on March 31 2024 as the first direct flights to Middle East city by a Japanese airline
JAL has decided to begin serving daily flights between Haneda and Doha, Qatar on March 31 2024. JAL will become the first Japanese airline serving direct flights to a Middle East city.
EXPO 2025 Osaka Kansai is expected to generate 891.3 billion JPY in spending by visitors
Asia-Pacific Institute of Research (APIR) estimated spending by visitors to EXPO 2025 Osaka Kansai at 891.3 billion JPY in a basic case, which of 224 billion JPY for transportation, 173.5 billion JPY for accommodation, 161.9 billion JPY for drinking and eating, 186.7 billion JPY for shopping and 145 billion JPY for entertainment.
JTB works together with Asahi Breweries to create ‘night-time economy’ contents for inbound travelers to Japan
JTB and Asahi Breweries, a Japanese leading brewery company, have started a collaboration project to create high-quality entertainments and tourism services in the nighttime for inbound travelers.
ANA revises the full-year financial forecast upward, considerably increasing revenue from passenger flight business
ANA has revised upward the full-year financial forecast for FY2023 ending March 31 2024 because it has successfully earned higher-fare passengers on international flights and increased leisure travelers on domestic flights.
Narita Airport recovered international flight passengers to 70% of the pre-pandemic level in 2023 due to surge in inbound travelers
Narita International Airport passengers in 2023 was up 12% year on year to 32.7 million, out of which international flight passengers were up 77% to 25 million. Inbound travelers were up 270% year on year to 16 million (down 12% over 2019).
SNS and map app are more used as tools for collecting tourism information among Japanese travelers, and AI is more used during traveling
JTB Tourism Research & Consulting reported the survey results about usage of smartphone and travel spending in Japan. SNS is widely used not only for consumption-related information but also for news or current affairs.
ANA signs a strategic partnership with Trip.com Group to increase Chinese travelers to Japan, opening a flagship shop on its website and app
ANA has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Trip.com Group to increase travelers from China to Japan, opening a flagship shop and deliver LIVE commerce on Trip.com website and app.
Japanese regions ranks 3rd to 10th in the latest top 10 destinations attracting Asian travelers
According to Booking.com, among top 10 destinations that are still unknown but are getting popularity among Asian travelers, Japanese regions ranks 3rd to 10th. Top was Camariñas in Spain, followed by Mexico, Missouri, USA.
A tourism aid package for four prefectures hit by Noto Peninsula Earthquake is approved, discounting up to 30,000 JPY for a two-nights tour
To support the Noto Peninsula Earthquake-hit regions, a travel discount program is launched for four prefectures, which will be available from March to late April before Golden Week period starts.
Spending in Japan by international travelers in 2023 reached record-high 5.3 trillion JPY
Spending in Japan by international travelers in 2023 increased by 9.9% to record-high 5,292 billion JPY compared to 2019. Taiwan was the top source market with 778.6 billion JPY.
JTB CEO talks about business focuses in 2024, from a product strategy to new tour routes for inbound travelers
JTB CEO Eijiro Yamakita talked about the JTB’ s business focuses in 2024 and business environment surrounding the tourism industry, pointing out three challenges for the tourism industry: worsening labor shortages, technology support, and sustainability initiatives.
Japanese outbound travelers were 9.6 million in 2023, not reaching half of those in 2019
The number of Japanese outbound travelers was down 52.1% to 9,624,100 in 2023 compared to 2019, though the result was about 3.5 times more than 2022.
Japan welcomed more than 25 million international visitors in 2023, 80% of the pre-pandemic level
The number of international visitors in Japan 2023 reached 25,066,100, almost 80% of the result in 2019 (31,882,049), adding 2,734,000 in December 2023. Compared to 2022, more than 20 million increased at once.
JAL appoints former cabin attendant as its first female president
JAL announced that Mitsuko Tottori will take office as new president on April 1 2024. Tottori, who came from a cabin attendant, will be the first female president for JAL.
Japan's leading travel agent HIS launches a new service for group travel to Hawaii, proposing a team-building program to corporate travel
HIS launches a new service for group travel, working together with Hawaii Tourism Authority and Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, offering ‘Malama Hawaii’ program on SDGs or regenerative tourism.
185 famous restaurants in Kyoto City work together to offer winter-limited menus with transparent prices for inbound travelers
185 famous restaurants in Kyoto City offer respective winter-limited menus with their transparent price ranges espeically for inbound travelers.
Japanese people who prefer to be alone has significantly increased across all generations, with 54% saying they prefer to be alone
The ratio of Japanese people who prefer to be alone was 56.3% in 2023, 12.8 higher points than 1993. The ratio of those who prefer to be alone rose across all generations.
Japanese taxi app ‘GO’ prepares for a ride-share service in Japan, supporting to taxi companies and local governments
Taxi app ‘GO’ provider is starting support services to taxi companies that are planning to start a ride-share service, developing an app for ride-share drivers and a management system for operators and local governments.
Japan Association of Travel Agents is focusing on revival of outbound travel and high value travel through 2024 as challenging themes
Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) is focusing on revival of outbound travel, regarding several anniversary events as good opportunities, and has an idea to support tourism in Hokuriku area that has catastrophically damaged by Noto Peninsula Earthquake.
