Business Japan's golf resorts expand to attract foreign visitors

[thomas]

While the number of Japanese golf players has shrunk by over 60%, golf course operators place bets on foreign golfers, some of whom stay two weeks and spend up to USD 20,000.


Japanese golf resorts are expanding their offerings to lure high-spending foreign tourists. Resol Holdings, linked to Mitsui Fudosan, is investing approximately USD 41 million to build 160 more course-side villas by 2030, adding to the existing 29 and 11 under construction. Prices vary based on season and package. At Resol's Setouchi Golf Resort in Takehara, Hiroshima, a one-night stay with three meals costs USD 300 per person on weekends. The resort's foreign visitors increased fivefold in the second quarter of 2024 compared to the previous year, with villa guests often playing multiple rounds of golf.

Seibu Prince's Kawana Hotel Golf Course (photo credit: Seibu Prince)​

Japan is home to more than 2,000 golf courses. According to a 2021 survey by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, a British golf association, Japan had the second-highest number worldwide after the U.S.

But the number of people who play on golf courses in Japan shrank to 5.1 million in 2022, a white paper by the Japan Productivity Center shows, down from the 13 million to 15 million players in the 1990s. Hopes are high that foreign visitors can bring a much-needed influx of money. At the Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide chain, the number of international guests who hit the links was 50% higher in the second quarter this year compared with the same quarter in 2018, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Seibu Prince operates multiple big-name links including Kawana Hotel Golf Course and Seta Golf Course. Some international visitors stay 10-14 days and spend 2m to 3m JPY on golfing, or about USD 13,000 to 20,000, according to the hotel operator.

Paywall alert:

Japan golf resorts play for tourists with more villas, expanded country clubs

Some foreign visitors stay two weeks and spend $20,000, one operator says

asia.nikkei.com