TokyoTomo Travel Guide

JTB Corp. released a forecast of travel market for 2009 in which it predicts total travelers will shrink 1.3 percent from 2008 to 308.55 million. Overseas travelers, according to the forecast, will be 15.3 million, down 4.4 percent, and domestic travelers 293.25 million, down 1.1 percent. Total number of travelers is likely to mark a record low since 1997, and overseas travelers reach the second lowest level since 2003. Foreign visitors to Japan are expected to be 8.3 million, down 0.6 percent.

In overseas travel, leisure market is supposed to suffer a downturn under the influence of slackened world economy, what with uncertainties for the future and what with mental inhibition for making a trip. Business travel will also go downhill because of subdued capital spending and corporations’ cost-saving efforts despite the growing needs to tap new markets.

Total travel expenditure is estimated at 14.16 trillion yen, down 6.1 percent, of which 4.51 trillion yen (-11%) will go to overseas travel and 9.65 trillion yen (-3.6%) to domestic travel. Average spending for overseas travel will be 295,000 yen (-6.9%) and 32,900 yen (-2.5%) for domestic travel. As far as overseas travel is concerned, while falling oil surcharge and strong yen could be driving force to stimulate the demand, the same factors will work adversely in spending as they push down the nominal consumption amount, coupled with the reduced number of travelers.

By destination, Korea will continue to attract tourists who take the occasion of weak won and enjoy shopping and gourmet. Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, and other Asian destinations are expected to have constant influx of Japanese visitors. The forecast tells that, should the surcharge drop drastically or be nullified possibly from April, Europe will revive, and Australia may regain momentum with the launch of new service to Narita by Jetstar, a low cost carrier (LCC).

For the sake of reference, JTB assumes the total number of travelers for 2008 as 312.51 million, down 1.5 percent from the previous year, of which overseas travelers were 16 million, down 7.7 percent, and domestic travelers 296.51 million, down 1.1 percent. Total travel consumption is estimated at 15.08 trillion yen, down three percent, with 5.07 trillion yen (-4.3%) for overseas travel and 10.01 trillion yen (-2.2%) for domestic travel. Average spending for overseas travel is supposed to have been 316,900 yen, up 3.7 percent mostly because of oil surcharge push, and 33,760 yen for domestic travel, down 1.2 percent.

Source: Travel Vision

Travel Vision Inc. provides information on the travel industry in Japan via "Daily Travel Vision", a Japanese-language e-mail newsletter, and the "Travel Vision" website. There are nearly 110,000 people working in the Japanese travel industry, and Travel Vision is proud to be bringing travel news to more than 30,000 people through Daily Travel Vision.