Japan

From 22 May we will be working to update all of the data and documents on this page following the Office of National Statistics (ONS) revision of the International Passenger Survey (IPS) data for 2009-2018 and the released detailed 2019 data. UK data will be updated first and followed by the regional data from 27 May. Please be patient as we update these pages or contact the VisitBritain research team if you have any questions- VB/VEResearch@visitbritain.org. Thank you.

Visitor characteristics

Over two thirds of visits from Japan are by residents aged 25-54 years old (68% of all visits from Japan in 2019)
The Japanese are less likely than average to be making a repeat trip to Britain: 50% of all holiday visitors from Japan (excluding British expats) are making a repeat visit to Britain (within 10 years), compared to 63% across all markets
77% of departing Japanese visitors (excluding British expats) are 'extremely likely' to recommend Britain

Popular activities

Dining in a restaurant

Sightseeing of Famous Buildings/ Monuments

Went Shopping

Global context


Measure	2019
International tourism expenditure (US$bn)	21.3
Global rank for international tourism expenditure	15
Number of outbound visits (m)	26.7
Most visited destination	USA
Most visited destination in Western Europe	Italy

Key demographic and economic data


Measure	2019
Population (m)	126.8
GDP per capita PPP (US$)	41,976
Annual average GDP growth over past decade (%)	1.3
Annual average GDP growth in the past year (%)	0.7

Japan Market Profile (PDF, 1.6MB)

Japan Market Snapshot (PDF, 1.01MB)

Japan Aviation Profile (PDF, 163KB)

Find out where visitors from Japan to the UK reside in their own country (Excel, 176KB, Published 2018)

Exchange rate

1 GBP = 140.0584 JPY

As of 3 December 2020

Retrieved from the Bank of England

Inbound visits to Britain from Japan

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Number of visits

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Total expenditure (GBP)

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Average length of stay (Nights)

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Average spend per visit (GBP)

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What Japanese think about Britain

The Japanese have a good overall opinion about Britain; they ranked 'brand UK' 5th among 50 nations in the 2019 Anholt Nation Brands Index, powered by IPSOS. Perceptions of Britain's tourism and culure are similar; also ranked 5th. Areas where Britain has room to improve include perceptions of ‘welcome’ and for being ‘rich in natural beauty’
The Japanese strongly associate Britain with 'museums' but are much less likely than others to associate Britain with 'sports' or 'films' for example. Only 10% think a trip to Britain would be ‘exciting’ or 'relaxing' but about a third think it would be ‘fascinating’
‘Having fun and laughter’, ‘enjoying the beauty of the landscape' and 'chilling/slowing down to a different pace of life' are key holiday ‘wants’ for Japanese travellers. The USA are seen as the best place to get the first of those holiday attributes by the Japanese while Australia is seen as the best holiday destination for the latter two.
Britain is seen by the Japanese travellers as the best destination for 'revisiting places of nostalgic importance', 'getting around easily by public transport', and 'doing what they want when they want spontaneously'
38% would like to go on a tour of Buckingham Palace

Caring for visitors

Leisure travellers generally prefer to stay in 3-star or even higher categories of hotels, with Japanese women (in the 20s and 30s) prefer to stay in greater luxury - 4 or 5 star hotels and students preferring budget accommodation
There is a preference for quick service, breakfast buffets, set-meal lunches and express check-in for groups
A direct 'no’ is likely to be avoided in formal situations with Japanese looking to use alternatives; mall touches will be noticed and appreciated

The leisure & travel trade

The Japanese travel industry is specialised and is a customer-focused sector
Many travel agencies have increased their online presence as travel booking via the internet has become more common – however, 85% of all long haul travel is still booked through a traditional ‘high street agent’
Travel products are geared towards the 65+ age group who have both the money and time to travel abroad

Access to Britain from Japan


Measure	2019
Weekly aircraft departures	38
Weekly seat capacity	8,543
Airports with direct routes in Japan	3
Airports with direct routes in Britain	1

In 2019, weekly departures increased by 10% compared to 2018
Japanese visitors do not require a visa to visit Britain, nor do they for anywhere else in Western Europe
A new route from Osaka to London Heathrow was introduced in 2019
In 2019, the highest rate of flight departures took place in July-September
Those departing Britain by air destined for Japan pay £78 in Air Passenger Duty if travelling in economy class

Markets

Markets

Japan

Japan