The Japanese government has high hopes for the travel industry. Japan’s travel spending reached 28 trillion yen in 2019. Of this, inbound (foreign visitors to Japan) travel was 4.8 trillion yen. From 2020 to 2022, Japan’s travel spending decreased due to the effects of COVID-19. However, in 2023, inbound (foreign visitors to Japan) exceeded pre-COVID levels and reached a new record high. Due to this strong inbound demand, Japan’s travel balance is in a large surplus. According to documents from the Japan Tourism Agency, Japan is listed as the top country that seven of the nine major countries would most like to visit for adventure tourism. Japan is rich in unknown natural and cultural resources. The foundation for accepting inbound tourists is in place.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, a phenomenon has occurred in which the travel fever that had been suppressed until now has suddenly erupted. Among these, adventure tourism (AT) is attracting attention. This type of adventure tourism has expanded in Europe and the US since the 1990s, forming a market worth over 70 trillion yen worldwide. Adventure tourism developed in the 1980s in New Zealand, a country rich in nature, and has expanded in Europe and the US. It is defined as travel or sightseeing that consists of two or more of the following elements: 1) nature, 2) activity, and 3) culture. The idea behind this is to understand other countries.
On the other hand, some experts are worried. The experts’ concerns are that the travel market has not grown smoothly. The number of Japanese overseas travelers has been at a plateau since around 1996. While inbound tourism is booming, Japanese travel is sluggish. In fact, Japanese overseas travel has been at a plateau since around 1996. Japanese domestic travel has not increased from two nights. Furthermore, overseas travel tends to be concentrated during periods such as Golden Week. Tourism policy, especially negotiations over air flights, are based on reciprocity. If the number of foreign visitors increases and the number of Japanese visitors decreases, spending on airfares and travel destinations will become unbalanced. The slump in overseas travel by Japanese people will eventually become a negative factor in attracting more visitors to Japan. Another reason given by experts is the difficulty of taking vacations. Japan’s characteristic short vacations contrast with the long, dispersed vacations in Europe. Experts say that if Japan were to lengthen and spread out its vacations, traveler satisfaction would increase and the productivity of the tourism industry would also increase.
