Japan
Visitor characteristics
- Overall there are more visits to the UK made by men than by women from Japan
Most visitors from Japan are aged 25-54 years old (73% of those visits in 2016) - The Japanese are less likely than average to be making a repeat trip to Britain
- 62% of departing Japanese visitors are 'extremely likely' to recommend Britain, slightly below the all-market average (69%)
Popular activities
Visited a Castle
Visited a Museum
Went Shopping
Global context
| Measure | 2016 |
|---|---|
| International tourism expenditure (US$bn) | 18.5 |
| Global rank for international tourism expenditure | 16 |
| Number of outbound visits (m) | 22.3 |
| Most visited destination | USA |
| Most visited destination in Western Europe | France |
Key demographic and economic data
| Measure | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Population (m) | 127.7 |
| GDP per capita PPP (US$) | 37,203 |
| Annual average GDP growth over past decade (%) | 0.5 |
| Annual average GDP growth in the past year (%) | 1.0 |
Inbound visits to Britain
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Sample size less than 30!
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Access to Britain from Japan
| Measure | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Weekly aircraft departures | 28 |
| Weekly seat capacity | 6,781 |
| Airports with direct routes in Japan | 2 |
| Airports with direct routes in Britain | 1 |
- Japanese visitors do not require a visa to visit Britain, nor do they for anywhere else in Western Europe
- Airline seat capacity from Japan to Britain has fallen by over 45% in the last ten years
- Only London Heathrow receives direct flights from Tokyo
- Those departing Britain by air destined for Japan pay £75 in Air Passenger Duty if travelling in economy class
What Japanese think about Britain
- The Japanese have a good overall opinion about Britain
- 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' and 'music' 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’ but 30% think it would be ‘fascinating’
- France, Australia and the USA are the destinations that the Japanese are most likely to consider as the ‘best place’ to get the things that will give them a holiday they will ‘personally enjoy’
- ‘Having fun and laughter’, ‘enjoying the beauty of the landscape' and 'chilling/slowing down to a different pace of life' are key holiday ‘wants’
- 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' and 'doing what they want when they want spontaneously'
- 38% would like to go on a tour of Buckingham Palace
Caring for visitors
- Word of mouth factors very highly in the consumer decision-making process
- 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
- A direct 'no’ is likely to be avoided in formal situations with Japanese looking to use alternatives
- There is a preference for quick service, breakfast buffets, set-meal lunches and express check-in for groups
- Small touches will be noticed and appreciated
- The majority of Japanese visitors use a credit card while in Britain
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
Downloads
Japan market profile
Examine flight capacity from Asia-Pacific markets to Europe via Middle Eastern hubs, and the consequences this has for visitors to Britain. Published April 2012
Exchange rate
1 GBP = 139.8713 JPY
As of 18 August 2017
Retrieved from the Bank of England
