Leisure travel in Japan - statistics & facts

The number of international visitor arrivals in the world dropped by more than one billion in 2020 when compared to the previous year. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic left a deep mark on the travel industry worldwide, and Japan was no exception to this negative trend. In Japan, sluggish tourism contributed to substantial losses across multiple markets. Considerable market contraction in the lodging industry, which was also indicated by a drop in the occupancy rate of lodging facilities, was far from the only loss recorded. The implications stemming from Japan’s ailing tourism sector run deep, starting with disruptions in tourism-related labor markets, to contributing to the poor performance of the transportation industry, gastronomy, performing arts, and the souvenir business, among others.
The travel and tourism industry in Japan is commonly divided into four broad segments that include domestic overnight travel, domestic same-day travel, outbound travel, and inbound travel. Each of these categories can be categorized by travel purpose, further splitting it up into leisure travel and business travel. Domestic overnight travel for leisure purposes is the industry’s main pillar generating most of its revenue.

Travel characteristics and trends

Japan offers everything a traveler’s heart might desire – from scenic spots deep in nature to exciting experiences in bustling cities. Among locals, Hokkaido Prefecture and Okinawa Prefecture constitute the most desired destinations when it comes to domestic overnight leisure travel. Hokkaido is Japan’s northernmost prefecture (and main island) and is a popular ski and hot spring resort location, while Okinawa, which is Japan’s southernmost prefecture, is the go-to place for the beach- and sea lovers. While these destinations were highly coveted, in reality, most trips were short in duration and were aimed at locations in the relative vicinity of travelers’ residences. Most travelers spent their overnight trips with family members, a trend that was reinforced by the pandemic. COVID-19 also affected the distribution of domestic trips in general, resulting in a decreased number of trips with touristic purposes, and an increase in visits of family members and friends. Same-day travels for leisure purposes were slightly more common than touristic overnight trips and were considerably cheaper. Hitherto the pandemic had severe but not catastrophic effects on domestic leisure travel – unlike in the case of outbound and inbound travel in Japan.

Outbound and inbound travel during the pandemic

International travel, especially for touristic purposes, received a catastrophic blow with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. As attested by inbound and outbound traveler figures, the priorly growing current of international travelers diminished to a trickle. Japan was one of the countries that handled the COVID-19 pandemic and related international travel strictly. The general strategy of the government seemed to be to make domestic travel possible, at times encouraging it via special travel programs, such as the Go to Travel Campaign, while on the other hand shutting international inbound travel completely down and strongly discouraging unnecessary outbound traveling. As of July 2022, a limited number of inbound tourists were permitted into the country, provided visitors made use of package tours or local guides. Fuzzy (and often-changing) regulations and the many hurdles that prospective visitors for touristic purposes need to overcome will most probably lead to the prolongation of the disheartening performance in the inbound tourism segment (and thus the entire tourism industry) in the near future. A look at the financial performances of large industry players indicates that the current status quo can’t go on forever without drastic change happening. A new strategy to overcome present times is in need, lest hitherto government plans and investments go to waste, together with the prospects and opportunities that international travel can offer Japan.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Alexandru Arba, Oct 26, 2022

Key insights

Number of domestic trips for leisure and recreational purposes
163.6m
Share of people going on domestic overnight trips
27.5%
Value of domestic overnight leisure travel expenditure
4.5tr JPY
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