Economy Japan Golden Week travel spending to shrink for first time in six years

[thomas]

No surprise here! Travelling during the GW has always been expensive. Given the current economy, I'm astonished people actually travel during the holidays.

Average spending on domestic travel during the upcoming Golden Week holidays is expected to come to about ¥46,000 ($288) per person, according to a major travel agency. That would mark the first decline since 2020, when the pandemic hit the economy and travel demand. The figure is down 2.1% year over year. A survey by JTB Corp. suggests consumers are tightening their spending as prices rise and the war in the Middle East adds pressure.

The online survey was carried out in March and covered people planning trips of at least one night during the holiday period, which runs from 25 April to 7 May this year. It also found domestic travel numbers are likely to reach 23.9 million, up 1.7% from the previous year. Outbound travel is also expected to increase. The number of travellers heading overseas is estimated at 572,000, up 8.5%. Combined, domestic and outbound travellers are projected to total 24.47 million, a 1.9% rise on the year.

Despite the strong travel demand, travelers are likely to save money by shortening their schedules or using cars and low-cost carriers, the firm said. As for the average spending on outbound travel, the figure is expected to be 329,000 yen per person, up 2.2 percent from last year and the highest amount since comparable data became available in 1996. JTB attributed the rise to the high cost of living at travel destinations and the impact of the weak yen.

Japan travel costs during Golden Week holidays to mark 1st drop in 6 years

The average spending on domestic travel during the upcoming Golden Week holidays is expected to be 46,000 yen ($288) per person, marking the first decline since 2020, when the economy was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, a major travel agency said Thursday.

english.kyodonews.net