News
80% of international travelers to Japan decides in-destination itinerary before departure
81.3% of all respondents decides itineraries in Japan before their departures, regardless of travel days or travel styles. The ratio among FIT is 82.9%, higher than tour (hotel+transportation) travelers.
JAL revises the full-year financial forecast upward due to better recovery of international passenger flights than initially expected
JAL Group resulted in more revenue, EBIT and net profit for the first half of FY2023 than the same period of FY2019 and has revised the full-year financial forecast upward.
ANA decides to pay a dividend for the first time in five years, posting record-high revenue and operating income for the first half of FY2023
ANA Holdings posted record-high operating revenue and operating income for the first half of FY2023 (April 1 to September 30) and has decided to pay a dividend of 30 JPY for the first time in five years.
Five Japanese airlines forms an alliance for regional aviation, working together for safe operation and demand exploitation
Three regional airlines, ANA and JAL established Essential Air Service Alliance or EAS Alliance to maintain flight networks for remote areas and boost travel demand.
Nara Prefecture in Japan promotes ‘Gastronomy Tourism’ with new tours in English
Nara Prefecture strengthens gastronomy tourism for inbound travelers, offering specially-arranged tours focusing on sake or local foods in Nara.
Japan National Tourism Organization points out the biggest challenge in adventure travel in Japan is guide’s skill for storytelling in English
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) survey to participants in ATWS 2023, the biggest challenge is ‘English skill of guides.’ JNTO also said that A key to send travelers to local regions is revival of direct flights from East Asia.
Digital Wallet for Osaka Kansai EXPO is in service on November 1, naming e-money as ‘MYAKU-PE！’ and reward point as ‘MYAKU-PO！’
‘EXPO 2025 Digital Wallet’ service started on November 1 2023 to connect the EXPO with wallet users, nicknaming e-money as ‘MYAKU-PE!' and reward point as ‘MYAKU-PO!’
Tourism Expo Japan 2023 was held in Osaka to appeal tourism in Japan to the world toward EXPO 2025 Osaka Kansai
Four-days ‘Tourism Expo Japan 2023 Osaka/Kansai’ was held with a theme of ‘OPEN THE DOOR TO THE FUTURE,’ from October 26 to 29 2023 to showcase the future of diversified tourism industries in Japan after the pandemic.
The most-attractive prefecture in Japan is Hokkaido for 15 years in a row, and seven prefectures raise tourism attractiveness rankings
Brand Research Institute' survey finds that the most-attractive prefecture was Hokkaido for 15 years in a row, and the most-attractive city was Sapporo for three years in a row.
Spending in Japan by international traveler in Q3 of 2023 increased by 17% over 2019
Spending in Japan by international travelers for the third quarter of 2023 (July to September 2023) was estimated at 1.39 trillion JPY, and the top market was China with 282.7 billion JPY.
Japanese outbound travelers exceeded 1 million for two months in a row, but still reduced by 40% over 2019
The number of Japanese overseas travelers were 1,004,700 in September 2023, marking more than 1 million for two months in a row, but the result was still down 42.6% compared to September 2019.
International arrivals in Japan recovered to 2.18 million in September 2023, the same level of 2019
The number of international visitors in Japan in September 2023 was 2,184,300, recovering to a 3.9% reduction compared to the same month 2019. The largest source market continued to be South Korea with 570,400 visitors.
Japanese government approves a policy package for measures against over-tourism, emphasizing joint tourism promotions with local communities
The Japanese government approved a policy package for measures against over-tourism with three pillars of manner eduction, more international visitors to local regions and joint tourism promotions with local communities.
Tourism DX on an app for rent-a-bicycle users is tested in Shimanami area, a popular destination in Japan for cyclists
Shimanami Japan, a local DMO, has started tourism DX demonstration on its app for rent-a-bicycle users in Shimanami area in order to increase local spending by them.
Princess Cruises starts selling Yokohama-based cruises in 2025, serving 17 cruises to rediscover Japan
Princess Cruises has started selling Yokohama-based cruises in 2025, serving 17 cruises visiting 34 cities in South Korea and Taiwan as well as in Japan.
Air Asia X will restart serving Kuala Lumpur- Sapporo flights, expecting to carry inbound travelers from Malaysia
Air Aisa X will restart serving four flights a week on the Kuala Lumpur- Sapporo route on December 3 2023.Hokkaido is a popular destination for Malaysians.
A leading Japanese cruise operator unveils a new luxury ship, targeting not only regular senior travelers but also new customers
MOL Cruises announced that the Japanese cruise operator will begin operating a new cruise ship ‘MITSUI OCEAN FUJI’ in December 2024, expecting to attract senior working people or couples in Japan and even inbound travelers as new customers.
Booking.com apologizes the unpaid matter to partners, explaining it results from shift to a new payment system
Booking.com released a apology letter to partners regarding delay of payment to partners and explained that it happened in the process of shifting to a new payment system to secure higher security.
Celebrity Cruises restarts Japan-based cruises, expecting 30,000 passengers in 2024
Celebrity Cruises will serve four Japan-based cruises in 2023 and expand to 18 cruises in total through 2024, expecting to welcome more than 30,000 passengers on board.
Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau installs generative AI on its official website, responding inquiries with more than 20 different languages
Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau will install multi-language generative AI ‘Kotozna laMondoI’ with a capability of more than 20 different languages on its official website.
