JTB has forecasted that international visitors to Japan will exceed 40 million in 2025, more than record-high 36.9 million in 2024, and Naoya Haraikawa, Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) Commissioner, also mentioned the number at a regular press conference. Following their expectations, Makiyu Deguchi, Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) Executive Senior Vice President, said, “The inbound travel market is influenced by a variety of outer factors, but I believe that the current strong trend will be unchanged. We continue developing active promotions.”
93% more visitors to four Hokuriku prefectures
JNTO continues focusing on sending international visitors to local regions. According to the travel statistics in 2024 released by JTA, there is still a gap in international guests in accommodations between three major urban areas and local regions, as the growth rates were 67.4% in three major urban areas and 31.3% in local regions compared to 2019.
However, visitors from East Asia to local regions have been recovering, and more visitors from Europe, U.S., Australia, India and Singapore than 2019 traveled in local regions. Deguchi recognized that the recovery trend in local regions was certainly seen.
One of the JNTO’s efforts is a promotion campaign for Hokuriku region, which is also regarded as recovery of tourism from the damages by Noto Peninsula Earthquake. JNTO revealed that international visitors to Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa and Fukui prefectures in the first 10 months of 2024 were up 93% year on year to about 2.5 million as a result of the campaign.
According to JNTO, several tours from Tokyo to Kyoto or Osaka via Kanazawa, a different route from conventional Golden Route, are sold in foreign countries, and French travelers visited Hokuriku sometime during staying in Japan for two to three weeks to avoid over-tourism.
Fo more visitors to local regions, JNTO is also developing the large-scale promotion campaigns targeting Asia, working together with global OTA or a Japanese LCC.
AdventureWeek 2025 in Tohoku
JNTO explained ‘AdventureWeek 2024’ in Okinawa in November 2024, which was organized by Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), JNTO and Okinawa Prefecture. FAM tours were joined by 12 foreign travel agents, and the business meeting by 15 international buyers and 13 domestic sellers, such as local tour operators, DMOs or activity operators in Okinawa.
‘AdventureWeek 2025’ will be organized in Tohoku in September this year, inviting 12 international travel agents and three journalists. Before that, the organizers will offer operator training programs in March to help local guides and suppliers improve knowledge and skills about adventure travel, and ATTA will review and improve FAM tour routes and contents in May.
