Demand for Japan from the British market appears to be increasing, as evidenced by arrivals, which recorded a jump to 320,000 for the nine months of this year, compared to the same period last year.
Airi Motokura, executive director at the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) London office, said: “Japan is showing an upward trend. Many tour operators tell us that even though they are not selling Japan, customers are showing interest. The numbers show very strong demand globally, not just from the UK, and that is very encouraging.”
According to Ms Motokura, the fact that direct flights to Osaka from London were not restored after Covid has resulted in some visitors from the UK now turning to Chinese-owned airlines to travel to Japan. Around 20% of all arrivals from the UK are now made on Chinese airlines, he said, which often also offer cheaper fares.
The tourist office, he added, continues to focus on lesser-known areas, such as Kyushu Island, the Shimanami area and beyond Osaka, to give visitors a reason to return to Japan for a second visit.
“Travellers tend to do the standard tour of Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hiroshima, but our mission is to get them to continue their journey to lesser-known areas. JNTO is working with UK tour operators to include other regions in their travel proposals,” he said.
The tourist office will also continue to promote year-round travel in 2025, attempting to move away from a strong focus on the spring cherry blossom season.
She said: “We are planning online marketing and promotions with airlines to encourage people to travel out of season. In Japan we have four beautiful seasons, one can even travel in January and February, it is not so cold in Tokyo and it is a better season because there are fewer people and air ticket prices are more affordable,” said Ms Motokura
She added: “Our key message is that Japan is not only the season of cherry blossoms.”
Notably, next year is the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which is expected to increase interest in visiting Japan, while a major technology and innovation exhibition in Osaka is expected to help boost the number of visitors.
