Travel and Tourism in Japan

Japan’s tourism sector has, over the past few years, faced numerous challenges. After a decline of 18.7% in 2009 as a result of the global financial crisis, inbound tourism increased at a rate of 26.8% in 2010 but was followed by another sharp downturn in 2011 in the aftermath of an earthquake, subsequent tsunami and nuclear crisis. However, there has been a solid recovery in the past year, with the number of inbound tourists increasing by 34.6% in 2012 to reach 8.4 million. The tourism sector is expected to enjoy steady growth over the forecast period, with inbound tourist arrivals expected to reach 11.0 million by 2017. However, fears of natural disasters and the strong yen could still limit the sector’s expansion.
The Tohoku earthquake in March 2011, followed by the subsequent tsunami and Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown, had a drastic impact on the Japanese travel and tourism sector. The earthquake and tsunami caused severe damage to the transportation network, including road, rail and air transport infrastructure, disrupting services at several locations. According to National Police Agency (NPA) statistics, 3,559 roads and 77 bridges were damaged. Furthermore, 29 railways were either damaged or destroyed. Sendai Airport was significantly damaged by the tsunami which followed the earthquake. During the review period, business and leisure travel decreased at CAGRs of -0.75% and -0.70% respectively. However, over the forecast period, business travel is expected to record a CAGR of 1.88%, while leisure travel is anticipated to increase at a CAGR of 1.49%. By the end of the forecast period, leisure travel will account for 63.5% of total Japanese domestic trips, while business travel is expected to account for a 21.6% share. The Ministry of Tourism will continue to promote domestic tourism to encourage tourist volumes.
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