Japanese travel agency JTB Corporation reports that the number of citizens going on domestic trips for Golden Week could drop in the face of a higher cost of living.
Analysts at JTB pointed out that numbers could decrease by around 6.9 percent from 2024’s total, putting the number of vacationers at around 23.45 million.
At the same time, following the pandemic, many Japanese are veering away from holiday crowds, opting instead to take their vacations outside the Golden Week window which covers 26th April to 6th May of this year.
Not quite there yet
JTB also reported that the number of travelers will likely remain at around 90 percent of the pre-COVID level, as domestic travel is down 7.2 percent from 2024’s 22.9 million.
On the other hand, overseas travel for Golden Week is up ten percent from last year, with closer destinations like South Korea and Taiwan gaining popularity due to a weakened yen.
Based on JTB’s most recent survey, planned spending per person for a domestic trip is expected to average US$255 per person, up 1.4 percent from the previous year, while that for a person traveling overseas will average 268,000 yen, down 0.4 percent.
These estimates are based on an online survey conducted last month among 1,846 people who planned a trip of one night or longer between 25th April and 7th May.
