Travel and Tourism

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Travel and Tourism

• Japan

Yoko Hatano Commercial Specialist Commercial
Service U.S. Embassy, Tokyo
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Market Overview Why Japan?

• Japan is one of the largest overseas travel and
  tourism markets for the United States.
• Japanese visitors to the United States account
  for almost two-thirds of all Asian visitors.
• More than 30 percent of Japanese overseas
  travelers are repeat visitors.
• More than 70 percent of these repeat-travelers
  visited the U.S. mainland and Hawaii in 2005.
• Japanese travelers are big No.1 spenders at an
  average of 4,250 per capita followed by U.K. and
  Canada.

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Number of Japanese TravelersGoing Overseas
Number of Travelers Million
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International Arrivals to U.S.by Country of
Residency
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Tourist Spending in the United States
Dollar Value
Billions
Year
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Tourism Trends in Japan

• Individually arranged travel is gaining in
  popularity, mainly due to the many options now
  available on the Internet.
• Males in their 30s and 40s are now the majority
  of Japanese travelers to the United States at 56
  vs 44 female.
• At U.S. mainland destinations, travelers prefer
  to stay longer in one place, rather than
  touring many places.
• Japanese consumers are interested in Special
  Interest Tours (SIT).
• Japanese tourists prefer new, undiscovered places
  and attractions where not many people go, rather
  than visiting famous tourist places.

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Tourism Trends in Japan

• European countries are competitive long-haul
  destinations, especially for first-time
  travelers.
• Short-haul destinations such as China, Korea,
  Hong Kong, Thailand, and Taiwan remain very
  competitive, receiving over one quarter of all
  outbound Japanese travelers.
• Emphasis on quality and contents of travel.
• Variances in travel timing/seasons are
  flattening.
• Shift in reservation methods 35 Internet
  booking vs 31 reservation through travel agents.

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Motivators and preferences for travel purposes

• The top five purposes
• 1) Viewing nature and scenery 65.3
• 2) Visiting historical sites and architecture
  43.6
• 3) Healing and relaxation 34.7
• 4) Tasting local cuisine a/o favorite foods
  33.5
• 5) Shopping 28
• Increased niche markets
• 1) Experience in different cultures 24.4
• 2) Visiting art galleries and museums 20.4
• 3) Meeting local people 14.3
• 4) Seeing concerts a/o other music
  entertainments 5.2
• 5) Learning/experience in the latest
  fashions/lifestyle trends 4.8
• 6) Gambling and seeing shows 3

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Package Tours and Individually Arranged Travel
(FIT)

• In general, package tours has 49 share in Japan.
• However, more FIT travel to the U.S.
  destinations
• US Mainland FIT 61.3
• Package Tours 23.8
• Hawaii FIT 26.5
• Package tours - 66.2
• Guam/Saipan FIT 18
• Package Tours - 74.6

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Best Prospects

• Special Interest Tours
• Natural and scenic attractions
• Shopping for local products, rather than brand
  names
• Visiting sites and attractions in historic and
  cultural areas
• Gourmet/cuisine themed trips
• Healing and relaxation trips
• Visits to art galleries and museums
• Sports, e.g., golf
• Taking classes, e.g., cooking

• New Potential Niche Markets
• Nostalgia, e.g., rock nroll, retro
• Hobbies, e.g., baseball fans
• TV and movie inspired tours

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Marketing In Japan

• Media exposure from media familiarization trips
• Travel documentaries
• Lifestyle and fashion magazines
• Travel magazines
• Japanese language websites
• Japanese search engine links

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Other Resources
Contact the U.S. Commercial Service in Japan to
explore opportunities in the Japanese market
today.
U.S. Embassy, Tokyo Yoko Hatano Tel
81-3-3224-5318 Fax [phone] Email
Yoko.Hatano_at_mail.doc.gov URL www.buyusa.gov/japa
n/en        
Japan Visit USA Committee Tel [phone] Fax
81-3-5472-6341 URL www.japan-usa.co.jp   Travel
Industry Association of America (TIA) Japan
Office Tel [phone] Fax
81-3-5413-6355 URL www.tia.org  
Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) Tel
81-3-3592-1274 Fax [phone] URL
www.jata-net.or.jp   Overseas Tour Operators
Association of Japan (OTOA) Tel
81-3-5470-9501 Fax [phone] URL
www.otoa.com    
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For more information, visit our website at
www.buyusa.gov/japan/en