Expenditure on New Year travel in Japan set to reach record high

The average amount spent per person for domestic travel in Japan during the New Year vacation period is expected to rise 4.9 percent from a year earlier to a record 43,000 yen ($290) due to an increase in accommodation costs, a travel agency said Thursday.

The expected amount is up 2,000 yen from the 2023/2024 holiday period in part because travelers are likely to take a longer holiday, as Dec. 28 and 29, and Jan. 4 and 5 fall on the weekend, JTB Corp. said.

While the major Japanese travel agency projects the number of domestic travelers to remain unchanged from a year earlier at 28 million people, the number is around 4 percent lower than the 2019/2020 pre-pandemic level.

The number of holidaymakers traveling abroad is expected to rise by 60,000 people to 520,000 but that is down approximately 37 percent from the 2019/2020 holiday period.

JTB’s annual New Year holiday forecast is based on surveys and hotel reservations.

Nakamise shopping street in Tokyo’s Asakusa area is crowded with people on Dec. 26, 2023, ahead of the New Year. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo