Spending by foreign tourists in Japan is set to hit a record high in 2023, bouncing back from the COVID-19 pandemic-induced travel slump to a staggering JPY 5.3 trillion. This is according to data released by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. The 2023 figure represents a 10.2% increase from the JPY 4.8 trillion spent in 2019, the year before the pandemic, despite a weak yen.
However, despite the increase, the average expenditure per traveler is decreasing: the average expenditure per traveler in Japan in 2022 was 235,000 yen, but in 2023 it will be only 213,000 yen.
Looking at the spending patterns of visitors to Japan by category in 2019 and 2023, the latter will see a higher proportion of spending on accommodation (29.4% in 2019, 34.6% in 2023) and a lower proportion of spending on shopping (34.7% in 2019, 26.5% in 2023), suggesting a shift in people’s travel priorities.
The countries with the highest tourist spending were Taiwan with 14.8%, China (excluding Hong Kong and Macau) with 14.3%, South Korea with 13.9%, and the United States with 11.4%. China had the overwhelming share of spending in 2019 with 36.8%, followed by Taiwan with 11.5% and South Korea with 8.8%, reflecting that China has yet to fully recover in international travel since the pandemic.
