New Corona Status and Travel Movements by the End of 2022 Vaccinations have progressed, and in 2022 there has been a relaxation of waterfront measures, such as removal of entry restrictions and shortening of quarantine agencies, mainly in Europe, and the resumption of international air flights, mainly in Europe. Relaxation has also spread to Tire Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and other countries, and international travel is returning to pre-corona levels, although an end has not yet been declared. In Japan, the water border control measures for entry into Japan were eased from October 11, 2022, with the removal of the daily cap on the number of new arrivals, the easing of entry requirements such as negative proof and quarantine periods, and the lifting of the ban on individual travel by foreign tourists to Japan, facilitating both overseas travel by Japanese and inbound travel by foreigners to Japan. As for domestic travel, the “National Travel Assistance” program began in October as a measure to stimulate nationwide tourism demand, and many travelers can now be seen in various regions.
Economic Environment and Living Conditions Surrounding Travel The foreign exchange market is still hovering around 130 yen per dollar, which is about 20 yen weaker than before the corona. Prices of imported goods, energy, and other commodities have soared, and rising prices are affecting households. Looking at the consumer price index, increases are seen in items other than transportation and communications, with particularly marked increases in gasoline prices and other energy-related items, as well as electricity bills. Looking at the “Current Living Conditions (Comfort)” in the Bank’s “Questionnaire Survey on Lifestyle Awareness,” the percentage of respondents who said they “no longer feel comfortable” has increased since September 2021 from the previous flat level, reaching 53% in December 2022, 13 percentage points higher than the same month last year.
Travelers’ Current Situation Domestic travelers’ total number of overnight stays began to recover, as no restrictions on activities were issued after the lifting of the priority measures to prevent the spread of the disease in March 2022. Furthermore, thanks to the “National Travel Support,” a measure to stimulate tourism demand that began on October 11, the total number of Japanese overnight stays in October was 105.9% of that for the same month in 2019 and 102.7% in November, exceeding that before the Corona disaster, and domestic travel is heading toward a full-fledged recovery. The number of overseas travelers has been on an upward trend since the spring holidays of 2022, when some water border controls on entry and exit were eased and sales of package tours for overseas travel gradually resumed. However, the number of overseas travelers is now slowly recovering due to the accelerating rise in global prices combined with the depreciation of the yen, soaring travel costs associated with higher fuel surcharges on airline tickets, and the unstable international situation, including the situation in Ukraine. In contrast to overseas travel, inbound travel to Japan is recovering rapidly at this stage on the back of the yen’s depreciation: preliminary figures for December 2022 show 1.37 million visitors, up 54.2% from the same month in 2019 before the Corona disaster.The annual number of inbound travelers by country/region in 2022 will be South Korea (1,012,700) Taiwan (331,100 ) and the U.S. (323,500). Note that China continued its zero-corona policy until 2022, resulting in only 189,000 visitors.
Calendar and Major Events in 2023 There will be seven consecutive holidays of three or more days in 2023: GW will be five consecutive holidays from May 3 to 7, and if May 1 and 2 are taken off, there will be nine consecutive holidays from April 29 to May 7. Sporting events will be held at home and abroad: The 5th WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC (WBC) was originally scheduled to be held in 2021, but was postponed and will be held as the “2023 WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC” from March 8 to 21 this year in the United States, Taiwan, and Japan. The four games in Group B will be held from March 9 to 13, and the quarterfinals will be held at Tokyo Dome from March 15 to 16. In addition, the 19th FINA World Swimming Championships will be held in Fukuoka from July 14 to 30, 2022, about two years later than the scheduled 2021 event. Overseas, the “Rugby World Cup 2023” will be held in France from September 8 to October 28. As for other major events in Japan, Tokyo Disney Resort will hold an anniversary event to celebrate its 40th anniversary from April 15 to March 31, 2024. Tokyo Midtown Yaesu will open on March 10, and in addition to Bus Terminal Tokyo-Yaesu, which opened in September 2022, the first Bulgari Hotel Tokyo in Japan is scheduled to open in April. In addition, “Aman Residence Tokyo” and the luxury hotel “Jannu Tokyo” are scheduled to open under the “Toranomon-Azabudai Project. In the summer, “Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo – Making of Harry Potta” is scheduled to open on the former Toshimaen site. In addition, in March, the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters professional baseball team will move to its new home at ESCON Field HOKKAIDO in Hiroshima, Hokkaido. In Niseko, the Aman Niseko is scheduled to open in winter 2023. In Kansai, “voco Osaka Central”, a premium hotel brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts, is scheduled to open on May 30, “Shisui Luxury Collection Hotel Nara” in Nara City in the summer, and “Dusit Thani Kyoto”, a Thai luxury hotel brand in Kyoto in the fall.
Trends in Domestic Travel We estimated that in 2023 there will be 266 million domestic travelers, average spending will be 40,300 yen due to rising prices, and domestic travel spending will be 10.72 trillion yen. The average consumption amount is the highest since 2000. The number of infected people in the 8th wave remains high, and it is thought that a certain number of people will voluntarily refrain from traveling even if there is no request to restrict their activities. With nationwide travel support, willingness to travel remains high for now, and a shift from overseas to domestic travel can be expected due to the weak yen and soaring fuel costs, but business conditions are expected to remain difficult due to high prices. The segment with the highest willingness to travel domestically will continue to be men and women in their 20s, but seniors are becoming more willing to travel. according to the “Survey on Changes in Lifestyles and Mentality Due to the Spread of the New Coronavirus and Awareness of Travel” (January 2023) conducted by the JTB Research Institute, from January to December 2023, domestic travel is expected to be the most popular choice for those planning or considering domestic travel. According to the “Survey on Changes in Life and Mindset Due to the Spread of the New Coronavirus” (January 2023), 40.3% of all respondents were planning or considering domestic travel between January and December 2023. The highest percentage of respondents were women in their 20s (53.5%), followed by men in their 20s (48.2%), and men aged 60 and over (44.4%). Compared to the previous survey (conducted in July 2022), there was an increase of 5.7 points for males 60+ and 1.6 points for females 60+, indicating expectations for a recovery among seniors. In addition to events and new openings, the impact of lifestyle and value changes, mainly through the Corona Disaster in the domestic travel stream, is gradually being seen in travel and tourism.
Trends in Overseas Travel In 2023, the number of overseas travelers is estimated at 8.4 million, the average consumption at 294,900 yen due to the weak yen and soaring fuel costs, and overseas travel consumption at 2.48 trillion yen. while the average consumption per person will be the highest since 2000, the recovery of overseas travel is expected to be slow in contrast to that of visitors to Japan. The growth of overseas travel is expected to be slow, in contrast to that of inbound travelers. The relaxation of water border control measures at the time of entry into Japan in October has made entry and exit procedures easier, but proof of vaccination and negative testimony are still required. Another possible reason for the slow growth is that the conditions are not completely the same as before the coronas, while some countries and regions continue to have regulations and rules as measures against infectious diseases. In the aforementioned survey, all respondents, including those who had no plans to travel overseas, were asked under what conditions they would be willing to travel overseas, and the following responses were given: “If the yen appreciates (27.1%),” “If I can take a vacation (22%),” “If the new corona infection situation in the destination country settles down (21.6%),” “If I can get affordable packages and accommodations (21.6%),” and “If I can take a trip to a new country (21.6%). (21.6%)” and “If I can get an affordable plan and accommodations (21.5%)” were the top responses. Both men and women in their 20s are highly motivated to travel abroad, with a particularly high percentage of this group wanting to go abroad in 2023. When those who are planning or considering an overseas trip in the future, not just in 2023, were asked to select one destination for their most recent trip, “Hawaii” was selected most frequently at 20.4%, followed by “Europe” (12.9%) and “Taiwan” (11.5%). The actual number of Japanese travelers in November 2022, as announced by the tourism department of each government, was 62,422 for South Korea, 46,020 for Thailand, 27,898 for Hawaii, and 21,204 for Taiwan.
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