As part of its efforts to expand inbound travel spending and promote regional tourism, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) has conducted a survey to estimate the market size of luxury-travel (defined as consumption of 1 million yen or more per capita at destinations).
The survey, which covers travellers from the selected markets to Japan in 2023, shows a significant increase in both spending and the number of travelers compared to the 2019 data. Notably, the growth rate in inbound (to Japan) luxury-travel market has surpassed that of the global outbound luxury-travel market.
Based on the results of this survey, JNTO will enhance its promotional efforts -- such as engaging in negotiations with overseas travel agencies specializing in luxury-travel and conducting familiarization trips in Japan -- in order to further advance sustainable tourism, increase spending, and promote regional destinations, in line with the goals set forth in the "Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Plan."
Key Survey Findings
(Consumption)
- Japan's inbound luxury-travel market was approximately 1.0 trillion yen in 2023, marking a 50.6% increase compared to 2019. Meanwhile, the global luxury-travel market was approximately 21 trillion yen in the same year, reflecting a 17.6% increase compared to 2019, with Japan's growth surpassing that of the global market.
- In 2023, spending by international travelers to Japan*3 was 5.3 trillion yen, an increase of 10.2% compared to 2019, with the luxury-travel market showing a particularly significant growth rate. ● Additionally, the proportion of luxury-travel spending in total spending by international travelers to Japan increased by 5.1 points from 14.0% in 2019 to 19.1% in 2023.
(Number of Luxury Travelers)
- The number of travelers in Japan’s inbound luxury-travel market in 2023 was 590,000, an 83.2% increase compared to 2019. The number of travelers in the global luxury-travel market in the same year was 11.57 million, reflecting a 32.5% increase, with Japan's growth again surpassing that of the global market.
- The number of international travelers visiting Japan in 2023*4 was 25.07 million, a decrease of 21.4% compared to 2019, highlighting the outstanding growth in the luxury-travel market within the inbound tourism sector.
- The proportion of luxury travelers among all international travelers to Japan increased by 1.4 points, from 1.0% in 2019 to 2.4% in 2023.
(Ranking of Japan’s Inbound luxury-travel by Market)
- In 2023, the top three markets by spending of international luxury-travel to Japan were China (23%), the US (16.3%), and Taiwan (13.1%). The top three markets by number of luxury-travelers were China (24.6%), the US (16.5%), and Taiwan (12.7%).
