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  3. Japan

Japan

Japan

Visitor characteristics

  • Close to two thirds of visits from Japan are by residents aged 25-54 years old (65% of all visits from Japan in 2018)
  • The Japanese are less likely than average to be making a repeat trip to Britain: 49% 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 staying holidaymakers (excluding British expats) are 'extremely likely' to recommend Britain

Popular activities

Dining in a restaurant

Visited a Museum or Art Gallery

Went Shopping

Global context

Measure2018
International tourism expenditure (US$bn)20.2
Global rank for international tourism expenditure16
Number of outbound visits (m)24.4
Most visited destinationUSA
Most visited destination in Western EuropeGermany

Key demographic and economic data

Measure2018
Population (m)127.2
GDP per capita PPP (US$)41,600
Annual average GDP growth over past decade (%)0.7
Annual average GDP growth in the past year (%)0.3

Resources

Japan Market Profile (PDF, 1.6MB)

visitbritain_marketprofile_japan_2020.pdf

Japan Market Snapshot (PDF 725KB)

japan_market_snapshot_28082019.pdf

Japan Aviation Profile (PDF, 123 KB)

aviation_market_japan_10072019.pdf

More resources

Find out where visitors from Japan to the UK reside in their own country (Excel, 212KB, Published 2007 and 2018)

annual_states_of_residence_2018_for_web.xlsx

Exchange rate

1 GBP = 132.8783 JPY

As of 26 March 2020

Retrieved from the Bank of England

Inbound visits to Britain from Japan

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Number of visits

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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

Measure2019
Weekly aircraft departures38
Weekly seat capacity8,543
Airports with direct routes in Japan3
Airports with direct routes in Britain1
  • 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

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