UK and Italy Past China in Per Capita Tourist Spending in Japan

Government surveys on tourism indicate the tourists from the UK and Italy now outspend the Chinese while touring in Japan. Tokyo and Kyoto are still two major sightseeing sites but spots like Tokushima and Kyushu are drawing more foreign tourists.

Over the period April-June, 2017, foreign tourists spent 13% more than the same period in the previous year to the tune of 1.77 trillion yen - the highest ever.

The overall rise in foreign tourist spending is largely due to the +68% influx of tourists from South Korea onboard increased low-cost carriers, followed by China and Taiwan. Hong Kong contributed to the trend with +34% tourists to Japan. In the term of increase rate China is dragging +4%.

In the gross spending, China still tops others though less energetic with 368.2 billion yen, followed by Taiwan 1.536 billion, South Korea 1.177 billion, Hong Kong 852 million, the US 767 million. The top five account for 70% of the aggregate spending. 

The UK tops in per capita spending and stays 13.2 days, longer than tourists from China (9.2 days) and South Korea (3.6 days).

Americans and Europeans expend more on accommodations, while more tourists from South Korea and the Phillippines stay at their friends'.

Interestingly, the Europeans favor Japanese cuisine. They spend substantially on food and beverages. The Spanish top all the others in spending on sports - skiing, golf, etc. and entertainments such as theme parks, etc.

As mentioned earlier, Tokushima, one of the four prefectures in Shikoku, is attracting more foreign tourists than ever before. Tokushima has a locality called Miyoshi which is often named a land of mystery. The area now attracts 4-5 times more foreign visitors drawn by the landscape and certain Japanese cultural heritages e.g. pullet stage, indigo dyeing, etc. (Nathan Shiga)

Source: Nikkei