Japan Summer Outbound Travel to Fall 8.8% to 2.17 Million as Weak Yen Lifts Costs
Updated
Updated · Kyodo News Plus · Jul 12
Japan Summer Outbound Travel to Fall 8.8% to 2.17 Million as Weak Yen Lifts Costs
2 articles · Updated · Kyodo News Plus · Jul 12
Summary
2.17 million overseas trips are projected from Japan during the July 15-Aug. 31 holiday period, down 8.8% from a year earlier and marking the first summer decline since post-pandemic recovery began in 2023.
323,000 yen per person is the expected average overseas spend, up 6.3%, as the weak yen and higher fuel surcharges—driven by soaring aviation fuel prices amid the Middle East crisis—push up travel costs.
South Korea leads destination demand at 26.2%, followed by Taiwan at 16.2%, while visits to China are forecast to halve to 10.1% amid strained Tokyo-Beijing ties over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Taiwan remarks.
69 million domestic trips are also expected, down 4.4%, even as average spending rises 3.2% to 48,500 yen, suggesting travelers are trimming trip length or spending selectively under inflation pressure.