JAPAN. Momentum from the Silver Week holiday period helped Japanese outbound travel reach its third consecutive month of year-on-year growth in October, according to Travel Journal International (TJI) Online*.
Citing provisional figures from the Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO), TJI said departures rose +0.4% in October to 1,359,000.
This followed September’s sharp +16.1% rise – the biggest monthly increase since January 2005.
The tally of Japanese going overseas in the first 10 months of 2009 reached 12,879,529, down -4.2% year-on-year, TJI said.
TJI commented: “Despite the resurgence in fuel surcharges in October among airlines, the ongoing strength of the Japanese Yen during the month helped fuel Japanese consumer confidence in overseas travel.
“However, booking activities for package brand tours at major Japanese wholesalers – particularly of those scheduled to depart on peak days toward the end of the year – have been sluggish and softer than those of December 2008, indicating uncertainty about the future.”
INBOUND MARKET REMAINS SOFT
The inbound travel market continues to struggle, TJI reported. The number of foreign visitors setting foot in Japan in October declined some -11.3% year-on-year to 655,400 (an improvement on the -16.4% fall in September).
The first ten months of 2009 saw a fall of -23.2%.
TJI attributed sluggish inbound traffic in October to the continuing appreciation of the Japanese Yen and lacklustre travel demand from business travellers and group tourists from other Asian countries due to concerns over the H1N1 flu virus.
Of particular concern to Japanese travel retailers would be the -30.6% fall in South Korean arrivals in October to 131,100; and a -22.5% decrease in Taiwanese visitors to 97,900.
However, visitors from Mainland China surged +25.1% from a year ago to 108,300, thanks to a good combination of holidays and weekends, while those from Thailand gained +8.8% to 24,600.
*Editor’s note: The Moodie Report works closely with TJI Online, the largest English-language travel trade news source in Japan. Week in, week out, it provides timely and sharp analysis of the all-important Japanese travel market – international and domestic. To subscribe please visit https://tji.tjnet.co.jp. It comes with our highest recommendation.
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MORE STORIES ON JAPANESE TRAVEL
Hawaii and Guam/Saipan to prove key overseas destinations for Japanese in forthcoming holiday season – 26/11/09
Japan to step up marketing drive to triple inbound tourism numbers; China to be a key target market -18/11/09
Strong demand during Silver Week holiday prompts +15.3% surge in outbound Japanese travel in September -04/11/09
South Korea and Thailand lead demand among Japanese for overseas travel in final months of 2009 -28/10/09
