If you aren’t familiar with tourism product in Tokyo, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Okinawa, etc. then you might want to pull out a copy of the ‘Cool Japan Guide’ & study up.
Alternatively, you can click here to check out KARRYON‘s Japan Destination guide OR contact Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), which is best equipped to educate consultants on the ins and outs of travel to the Land of the Rising Sun.
The urgency to be equipped with Japan travel knowledge has emerged out of recently released figures that not only prove Aussie travellers are keen on visiting the country, but they’re actually doing so.
JNTO revealed this week that 552,400 Australian tourists travelled to Japan in 2018, 11.6 percent more than the previous year AND the highest number EVER.
Thanks to the sharp increase in visitation, Australia is now the seventh largest overseas market for Japan as well as the highest spending tourists with an average of 242,050 yen (AU$3,075) per person, per visit.
Aussies are also staying longer than the average international visitor, with 43 percent of Aussies spending more than two weeks in Japan, while the average rate for international overnight stay was 9.1 nights.
Image: Eddi Aguirre/Unsplash
Kana Wakabayashi, JNTO Sydney Office Executive Director, said the rate of growth from Australia is “really exciting” and she expects it continue climbing as economic conditions shift.
“Favourable economic conditions now mean Australian dollars go further in Japan than many other currencies.”
Kana Wakabayashi, JNTO Sydney Office Executive Director
“And the statistics show our Australian visitors are taking full advantage to spend more yen than tourists from our other key markets such as China, Korea and the USA.”
Image: Erik Eastman/Unsplash
Overall, more than 31 million global visitors travelled to Japan in 2018, an increase of 8.7 percent from 2017.
JNTO believes the positive trend in tourism will continue through 2019 and into 2025 as the country prepares to host a series of major sporting events including the Rugby World Cup (20 September-2 November 2019), Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Kansai World Masters Games (2021) and the World Expo in Osaka (2025).
- READ: Hundreds of Advisors turn up to the largest JNTO Roadshows ever
- READ: ‘Goodbye tax’ for tourists kicks in & it’s really not that much
- READ: 2019’s hottest countries, including Brazil, Japan & The USA